In a strong move to curb escalating kidnappings and insurgent activity, President Bola Tinubu has instructed security forces to impose a complete cordon over forested areas in Kwara State.
The President’s directive also covered vulnerable forest regions in Niger and Kebbi states, aiming to locate and apprehend terrorists hiding in these remote areas.
The Nigerian Air Force has been tasked with increasing aerial surveillance across the densest parts of these forests, providing round-the-clock monitoring to support ground operations.
According to Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, the enhanced surveillance and security measures are part of a coordinated strategy to rescue abducted victims and prevent further attacks.
Communities are also being urged to report suspicious activity promptly to help security personnel act swiftly.
This directive comes after a wave of violent kidnappings that have shocked multiple states. In Niger State, armed assailants raided St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, taking more than 300 students and staff.
Some 50 victims managed to escape, but the majority remain in captivity.
Earlier in the same week, 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a government secondary school in Maga, Kebbi State.
Additionally, 38 churchgoers were kidnapped during an attack in Eruku, Kwara State, highlighting the persistent threat posed by armed criminal groups in the region.
Nigeria has faced recurring mass kidnappings over the past decade, beginning with the notorious abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014.
Despite ongoing rescue efforts, many of those girls are still unaccounted for, underscoring the long-standing security challenges.
Security experts describe these attacks as the result of a growing combination of armed banditry and jihadist operations, with perpetrators targeting schools, villages, and places of worship to demand ransom.
President Tinubu’s latest instructions are part of a broader effort to strengthen surveillance, enhance coordination between security agencies, and ensure swift intervention during attacks.
Local authorities and security agencies are now on high alert, combining air patrols with ground operations to locate the hiding places of kidnappers and restore safety in the affected regions.
