Troops of the 1 Brigade, Combat Team 6, have rescued 31 kidnapped victims during a patrol operation along the Bagega–Kawaye road in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
This was contained in a post on Friday night shared on X by security analyst, Zagazola Makama who disclosed details of the operation.

According to the post, the rescue took place at about 6:33 a.m. on May 28 when the troops came across the victims while carrying out routine patrols in the area.

The victims were said to have spent several weeks in captivity after being abducted by suspected armed groups operating in forested parts of Zamfara State.

It was also gathered that the victims were able to escape following an airstrike carried out by a Nigerian Air Force helicopter gunship in the western part of the Bagega forest.

“The fleeing victims were later intercepted and secured by ground troops during follow-up operations in the area,” Makama added.

Security authorities say efforts are ongoing to ensure the rescued persons are reunited with their families after medical checks and necessary security procedures.

The military has continued to reassure residents of its commitment to sustained air and ground operations aimed at dismantling criminal groups and restoring peace in Zamfara and the wider North-West region.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced that all aspirants who purchased Expression of Interest forms will be allowed to participate in its upcoming primaries across the country.

The decision followed long hours of deliberations involving party leaders, members of the National Working Committee, and the Selection Committee, led by a former governor, Sam Egwu, who submitted the screening report after several days of work.

The party’s National Leader, Senator Seriake Dickson, disclosed the development in a post shared on X on Thursday.

He said the party had reviewed the large number of aspirants who showed interest in its ticket and decided to adopt a more inclusive approach due to time constraints.

“Following the briefing at the joint meeting of the Selection Committee and Screening Committee, it was decided that all those who purchased Expression of Interest forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries in their various constituencies,” he said.

Dickson explained that only successful candidates after the process would be required to proceed to the party secretariat for documentation and payment of nomination forms.

He added that the party had deployed teams across the states to conduct the primaries with the support of stakeholders and local leaders.

“Our party is women- and youth-friendly. We urge the teams to be fair, open and ensure that only credible candidates with winning capacity emerge,” he said.

He also warned against violence during the process, saying the party would not tolerate any form of misconduct.

“We call for violence-free primaries and reiterate our zero tolerance for violent behaviour,” he added.

According to him, the party will rely on manual direct primaries due to time constraints, but plans to adopt electronic systems in future elections.

“As I said earlier, this will be the last manual primary. Future exercises will be fully electronic,” he stated.

Dickson further urged members to support the process, saying the party is being built as a long-term political institution rather than a platform for individual interests.

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State has announced Chief Dona Nwogbo as the winner of its governorship primary election.

Nwogbo’s emergence was confirmed on Thursday, during a primary election held in Enugu.

The exercise, which also produced candidates for the Senate, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly seats, was held across the state and culminated in the final collation of results in Enugu.

The development comes amid the lingering leadership dispute within the PDP in the state, with another faction led by Chief Vitus Okechi having earlier conducted separate primaries that produced former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, as its governorship candidate.

Declaring the outcome of Thursday’s governorship primary, the Returning Officer for the Enugu State PDP primaries election, Yarima Edachaba, described the exercise as peaceful and widely participated in by party members.

“By the grace of God, you can see that we have declared the winners of these primaries. By next year, the election itself will commence in full. The turnout was massive in the places we visited. There was no violence or fight in any way,” Edachaba said.

He commended party members for conducting themselves peacefully throughout the process and expressed optimism that the party would remain united ahead of the general elections.

Speaking after the collation of results, the Acting factional Chairman of the PDP in Enugu State, Steve Oruruo, described the exercise as a demonstration of internal democracy and transparent leadership recruitment.

“What happened today was the final collation of the PDP primaries which emanated from different wards via direct primaries. It was a glamorous outing that marked the end of elections in terms of primaries. This is the quality of PDP that was presented without rancour and with a sense of equity and fairness,” Oruruo stated.

He said the quality of leadership in any society was largely determined by the transparency of the recruitment process that produced such leaders.

“Leadership recruitment process should determine the coloration of quality leadership. So the warped value and poor leadership threat that we have witnessed over the years are just mere products of bad primaries of parties. today we have presented a primary devoid of rancour, quarrel and skirmishes,” he added.

Oruruo also dismissed claims of division within the party in the state, insisting that the PDP leadership structure under his faction remained intact and legally recognised.

“Enugu has never had any crisis in the PDP. The leadership of this party exists courtesy of the court secured a judgement that has never been vacated in the high court. Beyond this, the Supreme Court nailed it in the final judgement and clearly made it very visible that it is the BOT led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, that controls the PDP.

“That leadership has since appointed leaders at the national level to man positions in the PDP and they are in charge of the processes today. So any other thing violates the law and is tantamount to nullity before the law. Any other party acting contrary to the stipulation of the Supreme Court is acting null and void and of no effect,” he said.

The party also unveiled its candidates for the three senatorial districts in the state.

Basil Aguigwo emerged candidate for Enugu West Senatorial District, while Dr. Nwatu Anthony clinched the ticket for Enugu East Senatorial District. Lady Asogwa Beatrice emerged candidate for Enugu North Senatorial District.

For the House of Representatives, Isaac Onoyima emerged candidate for Igboeze South/Nsukka Federal Constituency, while Nwatu Chukwudi secured the ticket for Nkanu East/West Federal Constituency.

Lilian Ugwuoke emerged candidate for Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency, while Onah Uchechukwu picked the ticket for Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency.

Others are Nnaji Erobuike for Enugu North/South Federal Constituency, Chief Cosmas Onyia for Udi/Ezeagu Federal Constituency, Anikezie Michael for Igbo Etiti/Uzo Uwani Federal Constituency, and Eze Ephraim for Udenu/Igbo Eze North Federal Constituency.

President Bola Tinubu says his administration since its inception has stabilized the telecommunications sector.

Tinubu stated this on Friday in a speech to mark the third anniversary of his administration.

He said after years of severe operational pressures and declining investment, confidence is gradually returning to the sector.

According to him, telecom operators are expanding networks, investing in infrastructure, recruiting Nigerian talent, and widening digital access across the country.

Tinubu said, “We also took decisive action to stabilise the telecommunications sector, which remains one of the most important drivers of modern economic growth.

“A connected Nigeria is a more competitive Nigeria. Digital infrastructure is now essential to commerce, education, innovation, and national productivity.”

The Federal Ministry of Interior has announced fresh measures to strengthen Nigeria’s preparedness against the Ebola virus disease despite no confirmed cases in the country.

The development was disclosed in a statement posted on the official page of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to the statement, the minister joined other government officials and emergency response stakeholders at a high-level preparedness meeting held in Lagos on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The meeting, led by Femi Gbajabiamila, reportedly brought together the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, security agencies and health authorities to assess Nigeria’s readiness and strengthen preventive measures against Ebola.

The statement noted that the Ministry of Interior is focusing on tighter border control and screening procedures at airports, seaports and land borders to prevent any possible outbreak in the country.

“While there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria, we are not leaving anything to chance,” the statement read.

The minister also stated that the government was working with the Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant agencies to improve monitoring and surveillance across entry points into Nigeria.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has placed Kano, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and seven other states on high alert over the rising outbreak of Bundibugyo Ebola Virus Disease in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The agency, in a nationwide advisory issued on Thursday, said Nigeria remains vulnerable to possible importation of the virus because of increased international travel, cross-border movement and porous borders.

Other states listed as high risk are Rivers, Enugu, Borno, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Taraba and Adamawa, while several others, including Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi and Plateau, were classified as moderate risk.

The alert followed the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Although no case has been confirmed in Nigeria, the NCDC said all states must strengthen surveillance and emergency preparedness measures immediately.

According to the agency, the outbreak in Uganda and the DRC has recorded over 1,000 suspected infections and 247 deaths, with young and middle-aged persons mostly affected.

The NCDC noted that there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain, unlike other Ebola variants, making early detection and rapid containment critical.

It explained that the disease spreads through direct contact with infected body fluids, contaminated materials or infected animals, and not through the air.

Symptoms include fever, weakness, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and unexplained bleeding.

The agency said its Emergency Operations Centre has been placed on alert mode and directed states to submit readiness reports within 72 hours while immediately reporting any suspected cases.

NCDC Director-General, Dr. Jide Idris, urged authorities to act before any case is detected, stressing that Nigeria’s past success against Ebola depended on swift response, strict infection control and public cooperation.

A governorship aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Kaduna State, Shuaibu Idris, has rejected the result of the party’s governorship primary election.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Idris alleged irregularities, describing the exercise as a total fraud.

The aspirant further accused the ADC primary election committee of conducting a flawed and compromised process that failed to meet basic Democratic standards of transparency, fairness, and credibility.

According to the aspirant, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ADC, he joined the party with the hope that it would provide a credible alternative to the existing political culture in Nigeria.

He added that the primary election process was poorly organised from the outset, despite concerns raised by aspirants and stakeholders during a series of meetings with the Election Committee.

“We raised concerns about the sloppy nature of the process, but proceeded in good faith and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Election Committee.

“This arrangement was clearly susceptible to manipulation, scheming, cheating, and other forms of malpractice. There was no way a credible result could emerge from such a process,” he stated.

Abia State Chapter of the Labour Party, LP, says it will hold the party’s governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly primary elections  simultaneously on Saturday, May 30, 2026, across the 184 wards of Abia State.

This was contained in a statement released by the Publicity Secretary of LP in Abia State, Iroegbu Emenike on Thursday.

Emenike said that the development followed the official directive and communication earlier transmitted by the national leadership of the LP to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, notifying the Commission of the adjustment and harmonization of the primary election dates nationwide.

The party advised all party faithful across the  184 Wards in the 17 LGAs,  to adequately prepare for the exercise, assured all the members and aspirants that adequate security arrangements have been put in place to guarantee orderly primary elections.

The LP further promised that the exercise would be credible and, peaceful and inclusive in line with the Electoral Act, the constitution of the Labour Party and all established democratic guidelines governing the process.

However, the announcement of the simultaneous primary election did not indicate if the party would conduct a primary to pick its presidential candidate or not.