President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive security cordon around forests in Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi states following a series of recent kidnappings and terrorist attacks.
The directive, announced on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, also mandates the Nigerian Air Force to intensify air surveillance in the deep forest areas of Kwara State, where terrorists are believed to be hiding. He said the 24-hour surveillance would support ground operations already underway.
Dare added that security forces expect to rescue several victims across the affected states and urged local communities to promptly report suspicious movements to aid ongoing military efforts.
The directive comes after a string of coordinated attacks across the region. More than 300 students and staff were abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger State. At least 50 escaped, but over 265 remain missing.
In Kebbi State, 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, while in Kwara State, 38 worshippers were abducted from a church in Eruku.
Nigeria continues to face widespread insecurity driven by bandit groups and jihadist elements responsible for raids, killings, and mass abductions. The country’s most notorious kidnapping occurred in 2014 when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from Chibok, with about 90 still unaccounted for more than a decade later.
