President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued new directives to the Nigerian Armed Forces, ordering a comprehensive security cordon around forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and parts of Niger State in response to the surge in kidnappings and terrorist activities in the affected areas.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Chief Sunday Dare, announced the directive on Tuesday in a post on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD.
He stated that “the President had ordered the Nigerian Air Force to intensify and expand air surveillance across the innermost parts of the forests where criminal groups are believed to be hiding.”
Under the new directive, the Nigerian Air Force is to maintain an uninterrupted 24-hour aerial watch over the affected zones and synchronise its operations with ground troops already engaged in rescue missions and counter-terrorism efforts.
The same level of operational intensity, the Presidential aide added, will be replicated along the Kebbi–Niger corridor, where multiple rescue operations are currently underway.
The directive follows a troubling uptick in insecurity across the North-Central and North-West regions, marked by last week’s abduction of worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, and a series of assaults in parts of Kebbi and Niger that have heightened national concern.
Sequel to the rescue of several abduction victims in military operations, security agencies are still working to free others believed to be in captivity deep within the forest.
President Tinubu, who has been receiving continuous updates from frontline commanders, was said to have insisted that all military and security formations adopt an “all-out, no-retreat posture” until the perpetrators are neutralised and every abducted citizen is safely returned.
Also Read: President Tinubu Confirms Rescue of 38 Kidnapped Kwara Worshippers
The Presidential Adviser added that residents in the affected states have been urged to provide prompt intelligence on any unusual movements, gatherings, or suspicious activities to strengthen the ongoing military operations and enhance the effectiveness of the intensified security response.
In addition to the fresh military directives, President Tinubu also ordered the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to VIPs, directing that the personnel be redeployed to strengthen frontline security operations and bolster community protection efforts across the affected regions.
The renewed security push by the Nigerian government comes as it deepens its counter-terrorism efforts across several hotspots in the North-Central and North-West regions of the country.
Over recent months, security agencies have escalated joint operations, combining air power, ground troop deployments, and community-based intelligence to dismantle criminal networks responsible for kidnappings, banditry, and rural assaults.