22 Soldiers killed as Troops eliminate 70 Terrorists in clearance operation

The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Hadin Kai have eliminated 70 terrorists and their commanders in a clearance operation at a terrorist enclave known as Timbuktu Triangle in Borno.

The Director Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, in a statement on Sunday, said the troops had launched a three-prong operation on Jan. 16 aimed at dismantling the terrorist within the triangle.

Buba said the troops recorded several encounters with terrorists during the course of the clearance operations which resulted in the killing of over 70 of them including three notable commanders.

According to him, the terrorist commanders neutralised include Talha, a Terrorist Special Forces Commander; Malam Umar, a Terrorist Operations commander and ⁠Abu Yazeed, a Terrorist Brigade Commander.

“Meanwhile during the operations, the terrorist deployed Improvised Explosive Devices( IEDs), Person Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers) as well as Vehicle Bourne Improvised Explosive Devices (suicide bombers in explosive vehicles) to ward off troops advance and attacks.

“Troops already familiar with the terrorist tactics thwarted the several terrorist attempts, including shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorists,” he said.

Buba, however, announced that 22 soldiers paid the supreme price in the cause of the operations with several others wounded in action.

“On this account, the media is enjoined to resist publishing names of troop casualties to allow the formal notification of their next of kin.

“On the whole, the operation is ongoing and the public will be updated on further developments in due course,” he added.(NAN)

APC National Chairman Ganduje, receives thousands of decampees into Party

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has received no fewer than 40,000 decampees from various political parties in Katsina State.

Ganduje received the defectors at Ingawa Local Government Area (LGA) on Sunday, during the inauguration of the APC campaign for the local council elections in the state scheduled for February 15.

According to the APC national chairman, the new entrants included thousands of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), among others.

He added that one of the decampees was Alhaji Rabiu Gambo, a former PDP State Chairman,, who was also its Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2023 General Elections.

According to Ganduje, the return of the other political parties’ members to the APC is an indication that the party is the only honest one, with a transparent leadership in the country.

He told the decampees that they were now equal members of the party, promising that they would be treated like the old members in terms of party activities and leadership.

Ganduje assured them to feel at home as they were now bonafide members of the party, vowing,”any opportunity given to the old members, they are also entitled to it.”

He called on the members of the party and the people of the state to come out en masse during the election to vote for APC candidates across the 34 LGAs of the state.

In his remarks, Gov. Dikko Radda while appreciating the decampees, assured them of all the necessary coorporation towards moving the state forward.

Radda said that it was a great success by the party to receive such a large number of the members of the other political parties into the APC, saying that the party was not afraid of election at any time.

He further expressed confidence that in the forthcoming local government election, the party would win all the positions, assuring President Bola Tinubu that Katsina was an APC state, and it would continue to be so.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highlight of the event was the presentation of the APC flags to all the Chairmanship candidates of the party in all the 34 LGAs of the state. (NAN)

The police command in Adamawa has cautioned Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) members against misuse of their ID cards.

The Commissioner of police in the state, CP Morris Dankombo gave the warning at the 2025 dinner and awards presentation, organised by PCRC Zone 3, in Yola on Saturday.

Represented by DCP Administration, Modi Filiya, he said that the ID card should no longer be displayed, whenever patrol team on duty stopped them.

“In most cases when policemen are on check point, and a member of PCRC is being stopped, the first thing he will do is to flash you with the PCRC ID card, that should not be the case please,” the CP said.

He said that PCRC was an integral part of Police when it comes to community policing, and urged them to keep on doing the good work of supporting the Police.

AIG Babatola Afolabi, in-charge of Zone 3 Adamawa/Taraba, appreciated the contributions of PCRC in supporting Police in fighting crimes in the zone, as well as finding them worthy for the awards.

Afolabi, who was represented by DCP Anthony Plasid, assured of more support for PCRC, in ensuring security of lives and property.

He called on the personnel for collective efforts to make difference in serving people in the zone and country at large better.

In his address, Attah Mustapha, PCRC National Vice Chairman, North East, said that PCRC’s mandate was to assist with relevant information, that would help to ensure success in the fight against crime and criminality.

Mustapha called on members and the general public to be law abiding and assured to continue partnering with the Police to succeed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PCRC presented awards to 26 persons for their contributions in combating crimes, as well as supporting PCRC, through community policing and strategy.

NAN also reports that the PCRC supported nine wives of Police officers who died in active service with food stuff. (NAN