Troops of 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army, and Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have raided bandit hideouts and disrupted a meeting allegedly convened by a notorious bandit leader in the southern part of Taraba State.

Army authorities said the operation, carried out on 5 July 2025, targeted remote areas in Wukari Local Government Council believed to be strongholds of Liamdoo Douglas Adekpe, popularly known as Bajor.

In a statement made available to journalists in the state on Monday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Captain Olubodunde Oni, the feat was achieved based on intelligence information.

“Acting on intelligence, the troops launched a swift offensive, forcing the criminals to flee and abandon several items,” the army said.

The raid, according to the release, led to the destruction of key camps used by the syndicate for planning attacks and hiding weapons.

Five operational motorcycles, suspected to be used for raids and swift movement, were said to have been recovered at the scene.

Overwhelmed by the development, the Commander of 6 Brigade and Sector 3 OPWS, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, said Bajor and his gang narrowly escaped but are being tracked by security forces.

He reassured residents of the Army’s determination to eliminate criminal networks threatening peace in Taraba State and the surrounding region.

Brigadier General Uwa urged locals to continue providing timely information to security agencies to aid ongoing operations, emphasizing the Brigade’s resolve to deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to secure lasting peace.

The operation, as made known by him, is part of a broader clearance campaign aimed at flushing out criminal elements from the nooks and crannies of the state.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kaduna State chapter, has refuted mass defection of party members to other parties.

A communiqué issued by the state chairman of the party, Edward Percy Masha, at the end of the expanded Caucus meeting held in Kaduna said, “the membership of the party is still intact, they are still loyal to the party’s leadership and party.”

He also assured of the PDP’s readiness to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress, APC, at all levels.

The party stalwarts reaffirmed their total commitment to the unity and progress of the PDP ahead of critical bye-elections in the state, saying that the caucus resolved to distance the state chapter and its leaders from rumours suggesting they were plotting to dump the party.

According to the communiqué, the meeting declared unconditional support for the current national leadership of the PDP, including the Board of Trustees and the PDP Governors’ Forum, and hailed their ongoing efforts to convene a national elective convention to reposition the party.

The party further expressed its support for the possible alliances or strategic partnerships being explored by the PDP’s emerging national leadership after the proposed convention, aimed at dislodging the APC from power at the federal and state levels.

As a party in Kaduna State, the communiqué assured that they are united, focused, and have resolved to work harmoniously for the success of PDP candidates in the three constituencies where bye-elections are imminent, as well as in all future contests.

The meeting touched on consolidating the PDP’s grassroots structures to counter the APC’s influence and correct what they described as the ruling party’s “woeful governance failures” across Kaduna, stressing that the expanded caucus meeting was attended by serving and former lawmakers, local government party chairmen, youth and women leaders, and other key stakeholders drawn from the three senatorial zones of the state.

With the state bye-elections around the corner, the PDP’s latest move signals its intent to close ranks, quash internal dissent, and present a united front to reclaim lost political grounds from the APC.

The Nigerian Correctional Service, Kano State Command, has revealed that 58 inmates are currently sitting for the 2025 National Examination Council Senior School Certificate Examination.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, Musbahu Kofar-Nasarawa revealed in a statement on Sunday that the Kano state government had paid the registration fee for the inmates to support their reformation and reintegration efforts.

“The NCoS Kano State Command remains committed to providing a conducive environment for the rehabilitation and reformation of inmates,” the statement added.