President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued fresh offensive directives to the Armed Forces, ordering a full security cordon over forests in Kwara...
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued fresh offensive directives to the Armed Forces, ordering a full security cordon over forests in Kwara, Kebbi and parts of Niger State in response to recent spikes in kidnappings and terrorist activities in the affected areas.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Chief Sunday Dare, disclosed the development on Tuesday in a message posted on his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, stating that the President had mandated the Nigerian Air Force to expand air surveillance “across the innermost parts of the forests” where criminal groups are believed to be hiding.
Under the new directive, the Air Force is to maintain an uninterrupted 24-hour aerial watch over the troubled zones and synchronise operations with ground troops already deployed for rescue missions and counter-terrorism actions.
The same operational intensity, Dare said, is to be replicated along the Kebbi–Niger axis, where multiple rescue efforts are ongoing.
The instruction comes amid a worrying escalation of insecurity in the North-Central and North-West regions, including last week’s mass abduction of worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, and attacks in parts of Kebbi and Niger that have triggered national concern.
Although several victims have been rescued in recent operations, security agencies are still working to free others believed to be held deep inside forested enclaves.
President Tinubu, who has been receiving continuous updates from the 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.
The Presidential Adviser noted that communities in the affected states have also been urged to provide timely intelligence on unusual movements, gatherings or suspicious activities to support the intensified military offensive.
The latest directive adds to a series of recent security measures, including the President’s weekend order withdrawing police escorts from VIPs to strengthen community-level policing, and earlier decisions to reinforce joint operations across the North.
Security analysts view the new full-spectrum cordon as one of the most aggressive federal responses yet to the rising wave of rural and peri-urban insecurity, signalling the administration’s determination to restore stability and send a clear warning to armed groups terrorising communities.
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