President Bola Tinubu has thrown a 24-hour security noose around the vast forests of Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states—ordering relentless aerial and ground forces to seal every escape route as kidnappers and terrorists face a suffocating lockdown.
His directive came as over 20 persons, including a pregnant woman, nursing mothers and children, were abducted Monday evening in a fresh attack on Isapa, a community just five kilometers from Eruku, in Kwara State.
This is even as a cleric and a traditional ruler yesterday raised alarm over the killing and maiming of people in some communities in Nasarawa State, as parents of abducted students in Kebbi and Niger states have pleaded with the Federal Government to rescue their children.
The Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, also yesterday, threatened to withdraw teachers from classrooms if their lives were no longer safe, and demanded action from the government to release teachers in captivity.
The United Nations urged the government to stop kidnapping, and prosecute perpetrators to put a halt to the malaise, as the Presidency explained reason bandits’ enclaves could not bombed by security agencies.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, who disclosed this via a post on his X handle yesterday, said the President ordered the Nigerian Air Force to intensify aerial surveillance over the deepest stretches of the forests where criminals were believed to be hiding.
The operation, he noted, would run round the clock, with air assets maintaining constant communication and coordination with ground troops.
Dare explained that the directive would be in all axis where joint operations are expected to facilitate the rescue of kidnapped victims.
‘’Communities in the affected regions have also been urged to provide timely intelligence on suspicious movements to aid security forces in restoring safety,’’ Dare added.
Recall that there is an increased wave of brazen kidnappings and violent raids across Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states, a development that has exposed the alarming reach of criminal networks exploiting remote forests and ungoverned terrain.
Similarly, no fewer than 20 persons were abducted on Monday evening in fresh bandits’ attack on Isapa, another Kwara community, about five kilometers from Eruku where three persons were killed in a CAC church a week earlier, and 38 persons who were abducted in that attack, regained freedom last weekend.
Vanguard reliably gathered that the attack occurred around 7 p.m. on Monday, when the bandits stormed the community with a large herd of cattle, firing shots indiscriminately to scare residents.
The gunmen, it was gathered, reportedly fired sporadically as they advanced, forcing residents to flee for safety.
Sources in the town told journalists in Ilorin yesterday that an elderly woman was said to have been reportedly killed by a stray bullet during the assault.
A community leader, who confirmed the incident under anonymity, said 11 people were initially abducted, with seven of the victims belonging to the same family.
According to him, the kidnapped victims include a pregnant woman; two nursing mothers; and several children.
The victims were identified as Talatu Kabiru (Female, 20); Magaji (Male, 6); Kande (Female, 5); Hadiza (Female, 10); Mariam (Female, 6); Saima (Female, 5); A house wife, Habibat; A housewife, Fatima Yusufu; A pregnant woma, Sarah Sunday (Female, 22); Lami Fidelis (Female, 23, nursing mother); Haja Na Allah (Nursing mother)
It was learned that the attackers moved through parts of the town, leaving bullet holes in walls and doors, as expended AK-47 shells were found scattered across the community after the gunmen fled.
The Treasurer of Isapa Peoples Union, IPU, Abayomi Daramola, who also confirmed the attack, said the bandits went after their target, a business man who was abducted last year and released after payment of N20 million.
Daramola said he was traced to his residence but wasn’t at home. His absence was said to have angered the bandits who abducted everyone they met in the house, including the aged and children.
The Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi, who equally confirmed the fresh attack, said he just returned to Ilorin from the community, adding that the PPRO was preparing a comprehensive report about the incident.
‘Yes, there’s a fresh bandits attack in Isapa, I just returned from the place. The PPRO is preparing a comprehensive report,’’ he said.
Consequently, the state governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday announced a cabinet-level security committee to midwife alternative short-to-long term solutions to curtail further security breaches.
The committee, headed by the Deputy Governor, Kayode Alabi, with Mrs. Olufunke Shittu of the Office of the Head of Service, as the secretary, has the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Brigadier General Saliu Bello; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development, Abdullahi Bata, as members.
Other members include the Senior Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Muhyideen Aliu; Special Assistant on Security, Alhaji Moshood Gobir; and one local government chairman from each of the three senatorial districts.
A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, stated that the committee would midwife exclusive engagements with different stakeholders, including traditional rulers, to design a Kwara-specific security strategy to strengthen public safety.
“The committee will submit its report to the governor within four weeks for further considerations and actions. Its recommendations are to further enrich existing understanding of the nationwide security situations from local perspectives,” the statement added
