Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive military and security cordon over forests in Kwara State, following a surge in kidnappings and suspected terrorist activity across the region.
The directive was made public on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, who said the move aims to dismantle militant hideouts and rescue victims.
President Tinubu instructed the Nigerian Air Force to significantly expand its air surveillance operations across the innermost parts of the forests in Kwara, where armed groups are believed to be concealing themselves.
Mr. Dare added that the Air Force has been mandated to maintain continuous 24-hour surveillance and coordinate closely with ground security forces. The order is also said to extend to areas bordering Kebbi and Niger States, in an effort to secure the release of numerous hostages believed to be held across the wider axis.
Local communities have been urged by the Presidency to report any unusual movements or activities to security personnel to assist the operation.
The comprehensive security sweep follows a surge of high-profile abductions in Kwara State. Most recently, eleven residents were reportedly kidnapped on Monday evening in the agrarian community of Isapa, a neighbouring area in the Ekiti Local Government Area. A community leader confirmed that the victims included a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and children, with seven belonging to a single family.
The attack, which occurred around 6:00 PM (1700 GMT), involved an estimated 20 to 30 gunmen who stormed the settlement, firing indiscriminately, according to local sources. Bullet holes were reportedly found in homes, confirming the intensity of the gunfire.
This incident marks the third major assault on communities in the Ekiti Local Government Area in less than a month. It comes barely one week after 38 worshippers were seized inside a church in Eruku during a thanksgiving service and were subsequently rescued.
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