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Troops Kill Scores Of Bandits In Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger

The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Hadarin Daji has neutralised over 10 bandits and rescued many kidnapped victims from their hideouts in Zamfara and Sokoto states.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday, in Abuja.
Enenche said that the troops, in a ground and air operation closed up on bandits in a subsidiary operation called Operation Chingaba along Maru-Dansadau axis killing nine bandits.
He added that 18 victims comprising 10 men, four women and four minors who were kidnapped by the bandits were rescued during the operation.
Enenche also disclosed that the troops, in a sting operation at Isah Road close to Sarwa Village in Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State, arrested a gun runner known as Alhaji following credible information.
According to him, at the point of his arrest, his men in ambush opened fire on troops leading to his death while his men fled with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Troops recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun PKT, 140 rounds of 12.7mm, 43 blank ammunition, and one motorcycle.
“In the same vein on April 11, troops of FOB Dangulbi and Dansadau at a blocking force at Gobirawa made contact with bandits forcing them to withdraw in disarray.
“Troops pursued and neutralized one bandit, recovered one AK-47 rifle, three 7.62mm special ammunition, water jet explosives, two inches depth 33 cable for IED and one motorcycle.
“Furthermore, following sustained action on the bandits in Mutunj and Dansadau in Maru LGA on April 10, the Village Head of Mutumji handed over one AK-47 rifle captured from bandits to troops at FOB Dansadau.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby solicit for continuous provision of information for the enhancement of our operations.
“This is highly desirable in tackling our security challenges,” he said.
Similarly, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) says that soldiers on a mop-up operation have killed scores of bandits and rescued seven abducted persons at Dogon Gona Forest in Niger State.
This was contained in a statement by the Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, yesterday.
The statement reads, “Troops of 31 Artillery Brigade on April 11, 2020 on a mop-up operation to clear bandits at Dogon Gona Forest general area of Niger State rescued seven kidnapped victims.
“The victims, who were abandoned by the bandits after a fierce battle were said to have been kidnapped on March 27, 2020 and taken to an unknown destination.
“Following interrogation after a successful rescue operation, the village head of Madaki confirmed that the victims were natives of Roro village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State. The victims would soon be handed over to the appropriate authorities for further necessary action.
“In a related development, troops of 31 Artillery Brigade on April 11, 2020 at Kontokoro village while on clearance operation engaged bandits in a gun duel. The operation led to the neutralization of several bandits and some escaped with gunshot wounds.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria hereby continues to solicit for timely and credible information for the enhancement of its operations. This is highly desirable in tackling our security challenges,” the statement added.
However, one person was reportedly killed, yesterday morning while several others were injured and many houses burnt in a renewed clash between two families of Mbapen clan in Taraku town, Gwer East Local Government Area in Benue State.
It was also gathered that one person has not yet been found after the deadly clash which allegedly claimed the life of the deceased, Tseaa Wanpera, said to be a director in the employ of the state government in the Arts and Culture Ministry.
It was learnt that the age-long crisis started as a result of land dispute between two household (Aku and Mon) all of which are great grandchildren of Mbaakemcha, in Mbapen Clan.
Our correspondent reports that Mbaakemcha is one of the Tiv communities housing Taraku, a bustling rural town of about 15-minutes drive to Otukpo, headquarters of Idoma Kingdom.
An eyewitness said that the unsettled dispute escalated overtime and to such extent that the brothers were usually on war path, a development which had prompted the police to regularly surveillance the vicinity.
The witness added that fresh trouble began to brew at the weekend when one of the warring factions allegedly hired some mercenaries to unleash terror on the family of the deceased who had travelled home from his Makurdi base to attend his elder brother’s burial ceremony.
The local further explained that the attackers seized the funeral opportunity to open gun fire on allegedly few mourners left at home after the burial of their family’s patriarch in the early hours of yesterday, setting Wanpera ablaze in his house during the process.
“His (Wanpera) in-law was shot while one Mr Iorahom is still missing. Many houses were also set ablaze in the affected area and still in flames as we speak,” the local added.
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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