President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full-scale, round-the-clock aerial security cordon over forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States in response to the escalating wave of kidnappings and terrorist attacks across the region.
The directive, announced on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, mandates the Nigerian Air Force to maintain 24-hour surveillance over deep forest areas believed to be hideouts for criminal groups.
According to Dare, the air operations will run continuously, with deployed aircraft maintaining direct communication and coordination with ground troops stationed across affected axes. The aim, he said, is to support joint operations to ensure the immediate rescue of abducted victims and dismantle criminal cells operating in the forests.
Communities in the affected states were urged to provide timely intelligence on suspicious movements to enhance the effectiveness of the operation.
The President’s order follows an alarming spike in violent attacks, abductions, and raids carried out by armed groups exploiting remote, ungoverned forest terrain across the three states.
In Kebbi State, gunmen invaded a girls’ boarding school in Maga on November 17, 2025, abducting 25 students and killing the vice principal. Days earlier, over 40 women and children were kidnapped from a farm in the same state.
Kwara State has also been heavily affected, with the terrorist group Mahmuda intensifying attacks around the Kainji Lake axis. In recent incidents, 38 worshippers were abducted from Eruku village, while more than 15 vigilantes were reportedly killed in Kemanji. Data from ACLED indicates that Kwara recorded 177 kidnapping incidents and at least 207 killings in the first ten months of 2025.
Niger State witnessed one of the most devastating attacks on November 21, when gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, abducting more than 300 students and teachers. About 50 students later escaped. The United Nations condemned the attack and faulted the reopening of schools despite clear security warnings. Human Rights Watch also called for urgent protective measures for students and the safe return of those still held hostage.
Authorities in Niger State had earlier announced the rescue of 35 kidnapped victims from forested enclaves, including 16 women and 19 children.
The coordinated nature of the attacks across Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger, analysts say, points to increasingly emboldened criminal networks taking advantage of vast, unmonitored forests and weak local security structures.
