Abductions: Tinubu orders 24-hour aerial surveillance on Kwara, Kebbi, Niger forest.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered a 24-hour security cordon around forests in Kwara, Kebbi and Niger states as kidnappings and terrorist attacks escalate across the region. The directive includes intensified aerial surveillance by the Nigerian Air Force, with air assets working in constant coordination with troops on the ground.

The move follows a fresh attack on Isapa, a community near Eruku in Kwara State, where more than 20 residents—including a pregnant woman, nursing mothers and children—were abducted on Monday evening. The attackers, who arrived with a large herd of cattle, reportedly fired indiscriminately as they advanced, forcing residents to flee. An elderly woman was killed by a stray bullet, while the gunmen left bullet holes in homes and expended shells across the area.

Community leaders said the bandits targeted a businessman previously kidnapped in the area. After failing to find him at home, the attackers seized anyone they encountered, including children and the elderly. Police authorities confirmed the incident, and the state government has now set up a high-level security committee to design new community-based countermeasures.

In Kebbi State, 25 abducted schoolgirls have been rescued, with the state government insisting that no ransom was paid and crediting the operation to coordinated military and intelligence pressure. The victims were said to be in good health after their release. President Tinubu welcomed the development but urged security forces to intensify efforts to free others still in captivity.

Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, residents are raising alarm over repeated attacks by armed herders in rural communities. A cleric described how a church crusade was disrupted when news broke that attackers had invaded nearby villages. He warned that killings and assaults were occurring frequently and largely unreported, leaving communities feeling abandoned.

In Niger State, parents of hundreds of children kidnapped from a Catholic school last week are pleading for urgent government intervention. Some of the victims are toddlers, including a four-year-old boy who, according to his father, cannot yet speak and suffers from asthma. Dozens managed to escape, but more than 260 students and staff are still being held.

As fear spreads, the Nigeria Union of Teachers has threatened to withdraw teachers from classrooms unless government guarantees their safety. The union condemned the rising abductions as a national emergency and warned that continued insecurity could collapse the country’s education system. It demanded the immediate rescue of abducted victims and stronger protection for schools, especially in vulnerable regions.

The United Nations also expressed concern over the surge in mass kidnappings, urging Nigerian authorities to stop the attacks, secure the release of victims and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

Amid the crisis, the Presidency says security forces are well aware of the identities and locations of many of the armed groups responsible for recent attacks but are constrained by the presence of civilians held as human shields. Officials explained that indiscriminate airstrikes cannot be used in populated areas, stressing the need to avoid catastrophic mistakes.

The Presidency also revealed that the rescue of 38 abducted worshippers in Kwara State last week was achieved through precision tracking and coordinated engagement led by the Department of State Services and the military. Security operatives reportedly maintained real-time monitoring of the kidnappers, enabling negotiations that secured the hostages’ release without casualties.

As operations intensify across affected states, the President has directed that security agents maintain round-the-clock pressure on criminal elements while communities are urged to share timely intelligence to strengthen the ongoing efforts to restore safety.