Troops of 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, deployed at Maraba Apawa, have rescued a kidnapped victim following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected kidnappers around Yaja Village in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The operation was conducted on 11 December 2025 after troops received a distress report on the movement of the kidnappers within the area.
Acting with remarkable speed and precision, the troops launched a hot-pursuit mission, applying sustained tactical pressure that compelled the criminals to abandon their victim.
The rescued victim, Alhaji Shuaibu, aged 40 and a resident of Yelwata community in Ardo-Kola LGA, was kidnapped on 09 December 2025.
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Reacting to the development, the Commander, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their prompt response, resilience, and professionalism.
He noted that the operation is yet another demonstration of the Brigade’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the lives and property of the people of Taraba State.
The Commander reaffirmed that 6 Brigade remains fully prepared and operationally ready to deny criminals any form of safe haven within the state. He emphasized that all forms of kidnapping, banditry, and violent crimes will continue to attract swift and decisive military action.
Brigadier General Uwa further assured the good people of Taraba State of a peaceful, secure, and hitch-free festive season, urging residents to remain vigilant and to continue providing timely information that could support ongoing security operations.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has called on Rivers people to rally behind President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the state stands to benefit more when there is cooperation between the federal and state governments.
He said his administration is willing to work with all pro-Tinubu groups and stakeholders committed to the President’s re-election, noting that stability at the national level is vital for sustained development.
Governor Fubara made the appeal on Thursday during the commissioning of the 12km Egbeda–Omerelu link road connecting communities in Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas.
He described the newly completed road as another fulfilled promise, recalling his earlier assurances to residents while inaugurating road projects in the area last year.
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The governor reiterated that inclusive development remains a central priority of his administration, assuring that every part of Rivers State will feel the impact of government projects.
He said no community—whether urban or rural—will be left behind as his administration continues to roll out people-oriented infrastructure.
Governor Fubara explained that his administration has adopted open commissioning of projects to provide visible proof that the government is working.
He noted that although public inaugurations are not a global requirement, they help strengthen public trust at a time when political tensions have created doubts and misinformation.
He appealed to Rivers people to maintain peace, stressing that progress cannot be achieved in an environment driven by conflict.
Despite the tribulations and political pressures his administration has faced, the governor said he remains focused on delivering the dividends of democracy and improving the welfare of the people.
The House of Representatives on Thursday asked the Federal Government to grant immediate tax waivers to airlines in a bid to reduce flight fares during the Yuletide season.
Lawmakers also called for a 50 percent reduction in auxiliary charges within the aviation industry.
The resolution came after a debate on the soaring cost of flight fares. However, the lawmakers rejected proposals to subsidize airline tickets.
On Tuesday, the Senate summoned the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, and other stakeholders over rising flight tickets.
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Senator Buhari Abdulfatai from Oyo State, who led the debate, told lawmakers that Nigerians have been complaining about the rising cost of domestic flight tickets in recent months.
Abdulfatai disclosed that a one-way ticket from Abuja to Lagos now costs between N400,000 and N600,000, an amount many citizens can no longer afford.
“We need to invite stakeholders of our airline agencies to interact and interrogate the issues. Immediate steps must be taken before the festive period,” he said during plenary.
Other lawmakers, including Senator Adamu Aliero, echoed a similar sentiment.
The University of Jos (UNIJOS) community has been thrown into mourning following an accident that claimed the lives of eight students of the institution.
The crash, involving a trailer and a bus conveying eleven students, happened around 2:30 a.m. opposite Unity Bank along Zaria Road, Jos, Plateau State.
According to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Plateau State Sector Command Public Education Officer, Peter Longsan, seven students were found dead when responders arrived at the scene.
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Another victim died in the hospital, bringing the total fatalities to eight.
The remaining three students, all male like the deceased, are receiving treatment.
An eyewitness told Channels Television that the bus was travelling at high speed and attempted a wrongful overtaking.
This caused the driver to lose control before colliding with the trailer.
FRSC Sector Commander, Corps Commander Olajide Mogaji, said a detailed investigation was underway.
Mogaji urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to avoid night journeys, speeding, dangerous driving, and driving when fatigued or under the influence.
A member of the House of Representatives, Clement Jimbo, has said that Nigerians who desire additional security personnel should not be denied access to such protection, insisting that the privilege must not remain exclusive to government officials.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, the Lawmaker representing Abak/Etim Ekpo/Ika Federal Constituency said “every single Nigerian is a VIP,” therefore, citizens who want security escorts or guards for their homes, travel, or events should be able to obtain them.
Jimbo anchored his argument on the Constitution, explaining that Section 14(2)(b) places welfare and security at the core of governance, while Section 214 establishes the Nigeria Police Force and Section 217 creates the armed forces, all designed to operationalise that mandate.
He said that in situations where government security resources are insufficient to cover the entire country, the President has the constitutional latitude to engage private security structures to support citizens who are willing to pay for personal protection.
According to him, many Nigerians, especially during the festive period, want to travel to their hometowns with properties and desire security personnel to accompany them.
He added that some citizens are ready to pay, but the federal government currently lacks the manpower.
Jimbo argued that with rising unemployment, the government has an opportunity to recruit able-bodied Nigerians into a special security pool that citizens can legally hire from.
He proposed the recruitment of 15,000 personnel, placed on a ₦150,000 monthly salary, saying Nigerians would subscribe to the service and generate over ₦2.2 billion monthly revenue, which he believes could fund police retraining, welfare, and broader reforms.
He noted that there were no immediate replacements for the security personnel who were withdrawn due to the large insecurity in the country.
“What gave rise to the withdrawal of some of these security personnel from some of us?
“It wasn’t because the country was totally safe, that okay, since the country is totally safe, we don’t need these personnel attached to you, again.”
“It is actually because of insecurity, and now you’ve withdrawn these people, and there is no immediate replacement. “
He urged the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to send an executive bill to the National Assembly to formalise the process, emphasising that no additional appropriation would be needed.
Jimbo concluded that Nigerians who want additional security attached to them should not be denied that responsibility, stressing that the right to personal protection belongs to all citizens, not only those in public office.
VIP Police Escort Withdrawal
His comments follow President Bola Tinubu’s reiteration of his order, on Wednesday, that police officers currently attached to prominent individuals be withdrawn and redeployed to areas ravaged by insecurity.
Addressing concerns raised over the security implications of the withdrawal, Tinubu directed the Minister for Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to work with the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to replace the affected police personnel with NSCDC officers.
“The Minister for Interior should liaise with the IGP and the civil defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties so that you don’t leave people exposed.
“NSA and DSS to provide further information and form themselves into a committee and review the structure,” he stated.
National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ini Ememobong, says Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke’s defection was the direct outcome of a crisis the party’s leadership allowed to grow.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Ememobong said the Adeleke had become “a victim of circumstance,” stressing that the situation was “vicarious because every problem is human-caused and therefore should have a human solution.”
He argued that decisive leadership action could have prevented the breakdown that eventually pushed Adeleke out of the party. “At the level of leadership to which he belonged in the party, the party ought to have acted decisively,” he said.
Describing the PDP’s internal decline as self-inflicted, he warned that unresolved political problems only worsen with time.
“The challenge is that immediately we begin to feed the monster without knowing we will end up in the belly of the monster, after a while, we become victims,” he said. “If we feed animals to the monster, and we think time will solve problems, time allows human beings to solve problems. It doesn’t solve problems on its own.”
Ememobong said the party should have taken “strong action” in 2023 when the cracks first appeared.
He, however, noted that PDP leaders opted for dialogue instead, hoping that negotiations would calm tensions.
“You also cannot fully blame them,” he said, “because sometimes they think that with negotiations, when passions are calm, people could reconsider their position, but unfortunately, it didn’t.”
He linked the eventual fallout to the controversial PDP convention in Ibadan, which was marked by mass expulsions of high-profile members, the election of new national officers, and significant internal conflict.”
According to him, Adeleke’s exit is tied to “circumstances arising from vicarious liabilities which he cannot completely extricate himself from,” reflecting the long-ignored internal failures that ultimately engulfed the party.
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Resignation
Governor Adeleke formally resigned from the PDP, the political platform under which he rose to prominence as senator and later governor.
The governor announced his decision in a post on his official X handle late on December 2, attaching a copy of his resignation letter dated November 4, 2025.
The letter was addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 2, Sagba Abogunde, in Ede North Local Government, Osun State.
In the letter, Adeleke cited the ongoing crisis within the PDP’s national leadership as the reason for his departure.
“Due to the current crisis of the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), I hereby resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party with immediate effect,” he wrote.
Defection
The publicity secretary’s comments follow Adeleke’s joining the Accord Party as a new platform to seek re-election in August next year.
Governor Adeleke announced in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, just a few days after resigning from the PDP.
The governor disclosed that he joined the Accord Party more than a month ago, precisely on 6th November 2025, as a platform to seek re-election in 2026.
He said the decision was made after weeks of consultation and deliberations with stakeholders and opinion leaders.
Adeleke noted that he opted for the Accord Party because its mission of welfarism aligns with his passionate focus on citizens’ and workers’ welfare.
“Stakeholders and residents of Osun State are aware of why we are taking this important decision. We intend to pursue a second term in office on the platform of the Accord Party to complete ongoing delivery of good governance and democratic dividends, which have been applauded at home and abroad.
