The numerical strength of the Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to decline, with notable members leaving the party.

The latest defection involves a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Mijinyawa.

Mijinyawa, who was Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2019 when APC’s Jibrilla Bindow was governor, represents Yola South Constituency in the House of Assembly, where he is a fourth-term lawmaker after first being elected in 2011.

In his letter of resignation from the APC, Mijinyawa blamed his decision on the conduct of the party’s House of Representatives primary, which he described as lacking fairness and transparency.

“I can no longer associate myself with a process that I consider unjustifiable and contrary to the ideals of democracy,” he stated.

Mijinyawa had sought to move up the political ladder by contesting for a seat in the House of Representatives, but he lost the party’s primary election to a former Chief Executive of the Rural Electrification Agency, Ahmad Salihijo, a result he questioned in his resignation letter.

DAILY POST gathered on Monday that Mijinyawa is headed to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the party which gained ascendancy in the state towards the weekend after it was reported that a former APC governorship aspirant, Abdulrahman Haske, had joined the party and become its governorship candidate.

Some other APC members resigned earlier in the past week, leaving the party appearing to be in gradual decline ahead of the 2027 election.

State governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have rejected any alliance that threatens the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 general elections and vowed loyalty to the party’s course.

Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, made the declaration on behalf of the governors on Monday night during a closed-door meeting at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Uzodimma stated that no arrangement that creates confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests within the party would be entertained.

According to him, the primary focus of the forum is to support official APC candidates at all levels rather than external interests.

“The APC Governors Forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr President, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels.

“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate because our candidates who are contesting the election are being sponsored by our party.

“The governors’ campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates. All levels of the party campaign architecture will align with the expectations of Mr President and the strategic objectives of the party,” Uzodimma said.

The Benue State Government has described as malicious and false a publication circulating on social media alleging that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration has concluded plans to demolish the Secretariat of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Makurdi.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, disclosed this in a statement, describing the claim as baseless and completely detached from the truth.

“We state, without equivocation, that this claim is false,” he said.

Iorpev reaffirmed that Governor Alia is a proud product of the Church and has great respect for, and maintains support and partnership with, religious institutions across Benue State, including CAN.

He said any suggestion to the contrary should be viewed as a deliberate fabrication designed to incite disaffection between the government and the Church and destabilise the peace currently being enjoyed in the state.

The commissioner reaffirmed the Alia-led administration’s commitment to maintaining a cordial, mutually respectful and productive relationship with CAN and all religious bodies operating in the state.

Iorpev urged members of the public, the media and well-meaning residents to disregard the publication in its entirety, stressing that the report does not reflect the position, policy or intention of the government.

“Mischief-makers, rumour peddlers and purveyors of disinformation should take note that deliberate fabrication and circulation of false information intended to incite public disaffection, disturb the peace, or damage the reputation of government institutions would be treated as a criminal offence,” he said.

He said such acts were punishable under extant Nigerian law, including the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, warning that individuals found culpable would be identified and made to face the full wrath of the law.

Iorpev insisted that the government would not fold its arms while unscrupulous elements exploit social media to sow discord and mislead the public.

He assured that Governor Alia’s administration would remain committed to transparency and continue to engage the public through official channels.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a former staff member of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and 12 others over their alleged involvement in the vandalism of electricity cables worth more than N350 million in Abuja.

The suspects were also arrested in connection with alleged car theft, armed robbery and human trafficking across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring states.

The NSCDC National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this during a parade at the Corps’ National Headquarters in Abuja and at a crime scene in Yangoji, Kwali Area Council.

Afolabi said the arrests were made by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) as part of efforts to protect critical national assets and infrastructure.

He said the operations covered the FCT and Nasarawa, Plateau, Kogi, Benue, Niger and Kaduna states.

“One of the major suspects arrested is 25-year-old Isaac Zegbe, a former AEDC employee, who allegedly worked with his accomplices to vandalise more than 15 kilometres of aluminium conductors between Yangoji and Abaji.

“The vandalised cables were valued at more than N350 million and were later supplied to buyers in different markets across the FCT,” he said.

Following a sting operation, operatives recovered a large quantity of the vandalised cables at Gudu Market and arrested suspected receivers.

One of the suspects, identified as Chijoke Christian, allegedly admitted that he knowingly bought the stolen cables.

The Corps said it had obtained a court order to seal the shops of merchants linked to the purchase of the stolen aluminium cables.

The NSCDC also said its intelligence operations led to the arrest of a four-man syndicate allegedly involved in stealing Toyota vehicles across the FCT and neighbouring states.

The suspects were identified as Adamu Yusuf, Hassan Bukar, Adamu Musa, also known as Yellow, and Abdulsalam Isa, alias Kada.

In another operation, operatives arrested four suspected members of an armed robbery gang identified as Nuhu Ndam, Ponbin Lamkur, Yilcwat Sohdan and Ganpyal Dul.

The Corps said an AK-47 rifle, 16 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammunition and N70,000 cash were recovered from the suspects.

The NSCDC also reported a breakthrough in a human trafficking investigation following the recovery of Micaiah Nana, the last of 16 children allegedly trafficked by Archibong Anderson on January 15, 2026.

According to the Corps, the people who allegedly bought the child have been arrested and are assisting with the investigation.

Other suspects arrested included Bilyaminu Musa and Abba Yusuf, who were allegedly involved in power cable vandalism in Abuja city centre.

Another suspect, Theophilus Oche Oboii, was arrested over the alleged theft of 15 tractor batteries from the National Agricultural Seeds Council in Kwali. The batteries were reportedly sold for N20,000 each.

“Items recovered during the operations included a stolen Toyota Camry with registration number YAB 163 EE, cut armoured electrical cables, 15 tractor batteries, master keys, cutting tools, knives and a stolen travel bag containing clothes,” he added.

Afolabi said the NSCDC would continue to go after criminal networks involved in the theft and destruction of critical infrastructure.

The Institute of Security Nigeria, ISN, has condemned the reported imposition of a N50 million levy and demand for 100 livestock by non-state actors at Talata Mafara Market in Zamfara State.

In a statement signed by its Deputy President and Chief Executive, Barrister Adebayo Akinade, the institute described the development as an “act of war against the Nigerian state and its people.”

The ISN said the reported seven-day ultimatum issued to traders and residents required urgent government intervention, describing the situation as a national emergency.

It said the continued activities of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers were destroying lives, livelihoods, farms and markets while creating a parallel criminal economy capable of undermining national security and economic stability.

The institute called on the Federal and Zamfara State governments to treat banditry levies and market invasions as terrorism and economic sabotage, backed by coordinated security operations.

It also called for a state-led security coordination framework linking federal security agencies, state security outfits and vetted community guards.

The ISN urged the government to equip frontline states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna and Plateau, with tactical mobility assets, drones, night-vision equipment and attack helicopters.

The institute further advocated intelligence-led policing, including efforts to infiltrate criminal logistics networks and dismantle structures involved in the collection of levies and cattle rustling.

It also recommended the reintroduction of regulated livestock markets and the establishment of rapid-response mechanisms supported by air patrols.

The ISN urged communities to strengthen early-warning systems and establish local peace and security forums involving traditional rulers, farmers, market unions and faith-based organisations.

It also called on citizens to reject ransom and levy payments and report suspected criminal activities to security agencies.