President Bola Tinubu has directed a total security lockdown on forests in Kwara State following a series of recent kidnappings and terrorist activities that have unsettled rural communities.
The directive was announced on Tuesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, in a statement posted on X.
Dare said the President had instructed the Nigerian Air Force to intensify aerial surveillance across deep forest areas believed to be hideouts for kidnappers.
According to him, “President Tinubu has ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State following recent kidnappings and terrorist activities. He directed the Air Force to expand its air surveillance across the innermost parts of the forests where it is believed the terrorists are hiding.”
He added that the Air Force had been asked to maintain “24-hour surveillance and link up with the boots on the ground” to ensure a coordinated response to the escalating security concerns.
Dare also revealed that the President’s order extends beyond Kwara. “The order equally applies to the Kebbi and Niger States axis where many are expected to be rescued,” he said, urging communities to support security agencies with timely information on suspicious movements.
The directive follows a string of attacks in Kwara communities, including the abduction of 38 worshippers during a church thanksgiving service in Eruku last week.
Although the victims were later rescued, the incident heightened fears among residents. In another attack on Monday evening, at least 10 people were kidnapped in Isapa, an agrarian community in Ekiti Local Government Area.
Witnesses told The PUNCH that the Isapa attack occurred around 6 p.m. when 20 to 30 armed men entered the town with a large herd of cattle and began shooting indiscriminately.
The attackers reportedly moved from house to house, abducting residents, including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers and several children.
The incident is the third major kidnapping case in Ekiti LGA in less than a month. Three weeks earlier, 18 residents of Eruku were kidnapped but later rescued, while the church attack occurred only a week after that.
