The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, met with President Bola Tinubu late Friday at the Presidential Villa to provide an update on the deteriorating security situation, following a sharp rise in school abductions and deadly attacks across northern Nigeria.
The meeting was confirmed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who released photographs showing Ajayi in discussions with the President.
While specific details of the briefing were not disclosed, the conversation centred on the rapidly escalating crisis and ongoing rescue efforts.
“The Director-General of the Department of State Services, Mr. Tosin Adeola Ajayi, briefed President Bola Tinubu on the security situation on Friday night,” Onanuga wrote.
In response to the string of mass kidnappings, the Federal Government has launched a multi-agency joint task force to track and rescue abducted schoolchildren across the northern region.
As part of the emergency measures, President Tinubu earlier directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to temporarily relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate field operations.
International attention has also intensified.
Following a meeting in Washington between Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump offered assistance to Nigeria in tackling the resurgence of mass abductions.
This comes shortly after the U.S. designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and warned of possible repercussions linked to alleged religious persecution.
Pressure on the Presidency has been mounting after a series of coordinated attacks on educational institutions.
In the early hours of Friday, gunmen stormed St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area of Niger State.
Security officials say the attackers arrived on more than 60 motorcycles, shooting the gatekeeper before rounding up staff and students.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, after verifying the headcount, reported that 315 individuals were abducted 303 students and 12 teachers.
Niger State Police Public Relations Officer Wasiu Abiodun confirmed the assault, saying security operatives were combing the forests in search of the victims.
The Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, reiterated that a manhunt had been intensified and urged residents to remain calm.
He also disclosed that action would be taken against the school’s management for holding academic activities despite an earlier state directive closing schools in high-risk areas.
This latest incident followed the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Maga, Kebbi State, earlier in the week.
Communities outside the education sector have also suffered attacks. In Eruku, Kwara State, gunmen invaded the Christ Apostolic Church on Tuesday, killing two people and abducting 38 worshippers.
The kidnappers have reportedly demanded a ransom of N100 million per victim.
Amid the unrest, the Federal Government announced the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide to prevent further breaches, citing the “recent security challenges.”
Several state governments have taken similar precautionary steps.
The tense atmosphere was further inflamed on Friday by a false alarm in Nasarawa State, where online reports claimed two pupils had been kidnapped at St Peter’s Academy in Rukubi.
State police authorities swiftly debunked the claim as baseless, describing it as misinformation capable of heightening public fear.
Owing to the severity of the situation, President Tinubu has cancelled scheduled official trips to Johannesburg and Angola in order to oversee ongoing security operations personally.
The government said it remained
committed to rescuing all abducted victims and restoring calm across the affected communities.
