President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive security cordon around forests in Kwara State following a spate of kidnappings and terrorist attacks.

The President also directed the Nigerian Air Force to expand aerial surveillance across the deepest parts of the forests in Kwara, where terrorists are believed to be concealed.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Mr. Sunday Dare, disclosed this on Tuesday via his X handle. He said the directive equally covers the Kebbi and Niger axis, where security forces are working to rescue large numbers of abducted victims.

According to him, the 24-hour air surveillance is intended to reinforce ground operations already under way.
“Communities are also urged to provide timely information about strange movements and activities to aid the work of the security forces,” he added.

The order follows a series of coordinated attacks by terrorists. At St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, more than 300 pupils and staff were abducted in a renewed wave of mass kidnappings that has plagued Nigeria for over a decade.

Within the same week, 25 schoolgirls were seized from Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, while 38 worshippers were taken from a church in Eruku, Kwara State.

At least 50 abductees from St. Mary’s reportedly escaped, but more than 265 children and teachers remain in captivity.

Nigeria’s first high-profile mass kidnapping occurred in 2014 when Boko Haram abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State. More than ten years later, around 90 of those girls are still missing.

The country continues to grapple with a persistent security crisis driven by jihadist violence and armed “bandit” gangs that raid rural communities, kill residents, and kidnap victims for ransom.