President Bola Tinubu has directed a full security cordon over forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States following a recent spike in kidnappings and terrorist attacks, according to Sunday Dare, Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication.

Dare said the President instructed the Nigerian Air Force to intensify aerial surveillance over forested areas suspected to harbor criminals. The operation will run 24 hours a day, with air units coordinating closely with ground forces.

Communities in these regions have been urged to report suspicious activity to assist security agencies in restoring safety.

Recent incidents highlight the severity of the threat.

In Kebbi, gunmen attacked a girls’ boarding school in Maga on 17 November, abducting 25 students and killing the vice principal. Earlier, over 40 women and children were kidnapped from a local farm.

In Kwara, the group Mahmuda has carried out repeated attacks around Kainji Lake, targeting villages and churches.

In Eruku village, 38 worshippers were taken hostage, and in Kemanji, more than 15 vigilantes were reportedly killed.

ACLED data indicates 177 kidnapping incidents and at least 207 killings in Kwara during the first ten months of 2025.

In Niger State, on 21 November, gunmen abducted over 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara LGA, though 50 students later escaped.

The UN condemned the attack and criticised the reopening of schools amid ongoing security risks, while Human Rights Watch called for urgent protective measures.

Niger State police also reported rescuing 35 kidnapped individuals, including 16 women and 19 children, from forested areas.

These high-profile attacks underscore the vulnerability of schools, farms, and places of worship.

Analysts suggest that groups like Mahmuda are exploiting ungoverned areas across Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi.

President Tinubu’s 24-hour aerial surveillance and coordinated ground operations aim to dismantle these networks, rescue hostages, and restore public confidence in affected communities.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has strongly rejected Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s assertion that more than 30,000 people have been killed in the South-East as a result of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s activism, describing the allegation as baseless and politically motivated.

Kalu, who represents Abia North in the Senate, made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday.

He argued that the activities of the proscribed IPOB movement had triggered widespread violence, business losses, and thousands of fatalities across the region.

“Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed?” Kalu said.

“People who own shops have lost their businesses. I used to sell my own manufactured products in Aba, so I know the numbers.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, IPOB’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, challenged the senator to provide verifiable evidence.

He condemned Kalu’s comments as irresponsible and aimed at maligning both Kanu and the organisation.

“The global family of IPOB denounces the false and reckless claims made by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” Powerful said.

“His remarks stem from a malicious intent and the actions of someone willing to sacrifice his own people for personal political gain.”

IPOB maintained that it has remained a non-violent movement despite numerous military raids and operations targeting its members.

The group insisted that insecurity and violence in the South-East were orchestrated by government-backed forces, not by IPOB or its security wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Powerful called for an independent investigation into the violence recorded in the region since 2015, arguing that the Federal Government has resisted such inquiries because the findings would contradict its narrative.

“IPOB urges Senator Kalu to present credible proof of his assertions,” the statement said.

“We are not responsible for the death of any Igbo person or the destruction of businesses in the East.”

Kalu’s remarks come in the aftermath of Nnamdi Kanu’s recent conviction on terrorism-related charges.

The former Abia State governor reiterated his stance that a political solution, rather than continuous agitation, is necessary to resolve the ongoing tension in the South-East.

Referencing the proposals of Bianca Ojukwu and Mascot Kalu, he urged stakeholders to “stop the noise” and work toward an agreement with the Federal Government.

Twenty-four students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, have been released after spending a week in the hands of their abductors.

The schoolgirls were kidnapped on November 17 when armed men stormed the school in the early hours shortly after a military unit stationed in the area had withdrawn.

The incident reignited public fears over the persistent threat of school abductions in the North-West.

In a statement on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu confirmed the students’ release and commended security operatives for their efforts.

“I am relieved that all 24 girls have been accounted for. We must urgently deploy more security personnel to vulnerable communities to prevent further kidnappings. My administration will provide all necessary support to achieve this,” President Tinubu said.

The abduction occurred amid ongoing concerns about mass kidnappings in schools, a crisis that has continued since the 2014 Chibok incident and has forced several states, including Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger, to shut down schools considered high-risk.

Meanwhile, as security forces worked to secure the Kebbi students, another attack was recorded on November 21 at St. Mary’s Papiri Private Catholic Secondary School in Agwara LGA of Niger State.

Armed men invaded the school between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 am, abducting students and teachers.

A 2023 Save the Children report indicates that more than 1,680 students and teachers have been kidnapped from schools in Nigeria since 2014, with most cases occurring in northern states.

The release of the Kebbi schoolgirls comes shortly after security forces also freed 38 worshippers abducted from Christ Apostolic Church Oke Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State.

That rescue operation, which lasted five days, followed an attack that left three worshippers dead.

Bandits have launched another attack in the Isapa community of Ekiti Local Government Area in Kwara State, abducting 11 residents in a late-night raid.

According to local sources, more than 20 gunmen invaded the community on Monday, arriving with a large herd of cattle and firing sporadically.

An elderly woman was reportedly struck by a stray bullet during the assault.

A community leader, who spoke under anonymity, confirmed that 11 people were taken away, seven of whom are from the same family.

The victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children.

Those abducted have been identified as Talatu Kabiru (20), Magaji (6), Kande (5), Hadiza (10), Mariam (6), Saima (5), Habibat (housewife), Fatima Yusufu (pregnant woman), Sarah Sunday (22), Lami Fidelis (23, nursing mother) and Haja Na Allah (nursing mother).

Eyewitnesses described how the attackers moved through parts of the community, leaving bullet holes in buildings. Spent AK-47 shells were found scattered across the area after the gunmen escaped.

Police authorities have not yet released an official statement on the incident.

The attack comes barely two weeks after gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, also in the same LGA, where 38 worshippers were abducted and several others killed.

The victims of that assault have since been released.

Residents remain on edge as communities across the region grapple with repeated armed attacks and rising insecurity.