Army Appoints First Female Officer Acting Spokesperson

The Nigerian Army has appointed Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anaele, as the new acting Director, Army Public Relations.

Naija News understands that the appointment takes effect from April 22, 2025.

Anaele, who is the first female officer to be appointed army public relations officer, takes over from Major General Onyema Nwachukwu.

Findings reveal that since the creation of the Nigerian Army over five decades ago, no female officer has manned the public relations department.

In other news, Kano State Command of the Nigeria Police Force said it apprehended 157 individuals linked to armed robbery, thuggery, and various other violent offences over the past month.

Naija News reports that the State Police Commissioner, Ibrahim Bakori, shared this information during a press conference on Wednesday, April 16, highlighting the accomplishments achieved since he took office as Commissioner of Police in Kano State.

He emphasized that the command’s proactive and cooperative strategies have produced significant outcomes, including the dismantling of criminal organizations involved in the smuggling of firearms into the region.

The dismantling of these criminal networks resulted in the seizure of 19 improvised revolver rifles, 114 live cartridges, and six spent cartridges, along with the confiscation of suspected tramadol tablets valued at ₦150 million.

From March 17, 2025, to the present, a total of 157 suspects reportedly engaged in armed robbery, thuggery (Fadan Daba), theft, illegal drug trafficking, and other violent crimes have been arrested, leading to the recovery of firearms, dangerous weapons, illicit drugs, and stolen goods.

Bakori also revealed that among those detained during this timeframe were 24 individuals suspected of armed robbery, 14 alleged drug traffickers, seven suspected car thieves, five suspected motorcycle thieves, 28 suspected burglars, and 79 suspected thugs (Yan Daba).

Additionally, he noted that the items seized from the suspects included English pistols, 19 improvised revolver rifles, and one fabricated pistol.

Other recovered items comprised 117 live cartridges, six spent cartridges, 11 rounds of live ammunition, two vehicles, two tricycles, three motorcycles, six cartons of ampicillin tablets, and 22 bottles of a substance known as “suck and die.”