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Army, Boko Haram Clash Claims Soldier, Terrorists In Adamawa

The 23 Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army has confirmed that one soldier died while another was wounded as troops of 232 Battalion of the brigade engaged Boko Haram insurgents who attacked Garkida community in Adamawa State, last Friday.
An Army press statement, yesterday morning, on the encounter from the brigade as well as pictures of the destruction in Garkida following the Friday evening attack, confirmed the incident.
It would be recalled that Boko Haram fighters had invaded the northern Adamawa town of Garkida in Gombi Local Government Area at about 7pm, last Friday, and caused destruction to houses, churches, shops, and vehicles.
In its statement, however, the 23 Armoured Brigade, which has its headquarters in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, indicated that the destruction would have been more extensive but for the quick intervention of its troops who interrupted the insurgents, killed some of them, but lost a soldier in the process.
In the statement signed by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Major Haruna Mohammed Sani, the 23 Armoured Brigade said, “Gallant troops of 232 Battalion of 23 Armoured Brigade under Operation Lafiya Dole deployed in Garkida, Gombi LGA of Adamawa State, had thwarted a planned criminal attack on the peaceful town on February 21, 2020, by some criminal Boko Haram terrorists.
“The terrorists besieged the town in about seven gun trucks and a number of motorcycles, setting some buildings ablaze and causing unrest within the community.
“Instinctively, the gallant troops mobilized and intercepted the criminals’ advance, and engaged the marauding criminals, unleashing high volume of fire, leading to the elimination of several of the criminals while others withdrew in disarray, many of them with gunshot wounds as evident in the trails of blood along their withdrawal route.
“Regrettably, one gallant soldier paid the supreme price while another soldier was wounded in action. The wounded in action soldier has since been evacuated to a military medical facility and is positively responding to treatment.”
The statement added that the Commander of the 23 Armoured Brigade, Brig-Gen Sani Gambo Mohammed, who visited the troops in Garkida on Saturday, congratulated the troops for their fighting spirit but warned them to be vigilant as the criminal elements might plan a reprisal attack due to the casualties they suffered.
Revelations since Saturday have, however, indicated that while the Boko Haram invasion lasted in Garkida, the insurgents succeeded in burning down two churches: an EYN Church branch and a branch of Living Faith Church a.k.a. Winners’ Chapel International.
They also burnt shops, hospitals and houses of two prominent residents, among others.
The state government is yet to make any statement regarding the attack on Garkida, but Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was said to be on his way to the town as this report was being concluded, yesterday afternoon.
Similarly, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD) have killed 13 bandits; intercept large ammunitions cache of 4,630 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition in 11 communities in Shinkafi, Anka and Bukkuyum local government areas of Zamfara, and three communities in Batsari LGA in Katsina and another three communities in Kebbi states.
Several other bandits were fatally wounded while eight suspected bandits that include a female were arrested.
The Acting Force Information Officer, Captain Abayomi Oni-Orisan, disclosed this in a press released in Gusau, yesterday.
Oni-Orisan explained that the feat was recorded between the 10th and 20th of this month during an operation as the troops conducted clearance operations, ambushes and fighting patrols in several locations across the theatre carried out in 11 communities in Anka, Shinkafi and Bukkuyum Local Governments Areas of Zamfara State.
Other locations where the operation also took place were three communities in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State and three communities in Kebbi State.
The operation, according to him, also led to the recovery of seven AK-47 rifles, eight loaded magazines, 22 motorcycles, two Dane guns, four GSM phones and 30 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).
The troops also intercepted suspected drug counterfeiters and drug dealers with 350 cartons of fake “PECOL” drugs and a sizeable consignment of suspected Indian hemp in Zurmi and Shinkafi local government areas of Zamfara State, respectively.
The fake “PECOL” drugs, according to the press release, were smuggled from Niger Republic through Jibia, carefully kept behind bags of fresh pepper in a J5 Bus with registration number RMY 156 XA Katsina to avoid any suspicion.
The troops deployed in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara Stare also intercepted another vehicle conveying a suspected drug dealer with a large quantity of Indian hemp carefully concealed inside a carton.
The suspects and exhibits, according to the press release, have duly been handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), respectively for further prosecution and destruction of the drugs.
It would be noted that the ongoing operation against banditry and all forms of criminality would continue until peace is restored in Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto states, the statement added.
The Force Commander of OPHD and Acting General Officer Commanding 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Brig-Gen Aminu Bande, urged the general public to support the operation by providing timely and credible information to the troops through the dedicated emergency telephone numbers, earlier provided to the general public, to ensure prompt and efficient action.
Bande also warned all recalcitrant bandits and their cohorts to immediately lay down their arms and embrace the on-going peace process or face full military action.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has explained why 104 ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members were freed.
She said President Muhammadu Buhari granted amnesty to the repentant terrorists “so that they could be assisted in different areas of human development.”
According to a statement by the Assistant Director, Information, Rhoda Ishaku Iliya, the minister said this when she received the representatives of the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Gabriel Olonishaki, led by the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Maj-Gen Bamidele Shaffa, in Abuja, last Saturday.
Umar-Farouq said in ensuring that the current administration achieves its vision in addressing the insecurity and insurgency challenges facing the nation, the government had given a welcoming hand or an opportunity to repentant Boko Haram members to have a re-think.
“It is a very important programme for the ministry, one of the mandates of the ministry is to focus on the early recovery aspect of the North-East region, and one of such components of early recovery is re-integration, rehabilitation of these affected communities and the repentant Boko Haram insurgents,” she added.
The minister thanked the Operation Safe Corridor for their efforts and initiatives, adding that it would address the challenges of insecurity, and “is a very large approach in the de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of these insurgents”, adding that the strategy was very important, especially in the North-East today.
News
FG Ends Passport Production At Multiple Centres After 62 Years

The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
News
FAAC Disburses N2.225trn For August, Highest In Nigeria

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
News
KenPoly Governing Council Decries Inadequate Power Supply, Poor Infrastructure On Campus
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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