In a decisive response to a surge of mass kidnappings terrorizing northwestern Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has ordered a 24-hour aerial security cordon over the forested stretches of Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states.
The directive, announced by Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication Sunday Dare, mandates the Nigerian Air Force to intensify round-the-clock aerial surveillance. The operation is designed to pinpoint criminal hideouts in the deep forests, with air assets maintaining “constant communication and coordination with ground troops.”
This urgent security measure comes as communities across the region reel from a series of brazen attacks where 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Maga, and over 40 women and children were kidnapped from a local farm, all in Kebbi State.
In Kwara, the terror group Mahmuda has intensified raids, taking 38 worshippers hostage in Eruku village. Also, in Niger State, gunmen abducted over 300 students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School, in one of the largest such attacks this year.
The assault drew condemnation from the UN and calls for action from Human Rights Watch.
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