Terrorists, informants spying on schools, other targets – Police

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Security agencies have heightened surveillance around schools, NYSC orientation camps, places of worship and other vulnerable locations following intelligence indicating plans by terrorists to launch coordinated attacks across the country.

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The Nigeria Police Force, in a security alert circulated to its formations nationwide, warned of planned attacks that could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.

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According to the police communication, intelligence available to the Department of Operations indicated an “increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks” on places of worship, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations.

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The communication was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police units, counter-terrorism and other specialised formations, as well as Commissioners of Police in all the states.

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It was also copied to departments and formations at Force Headquarters, including Intelligence, Finance and Administration, the Directorate of Training and Development, the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Research and Planning, ICT and the Force Security Department.

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According to the police, intelligence revealed the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.

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“There is an increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on places of worship, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations,” it stated.

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The Force also said suspected Islamic State West Africa Province operatives and local collaborators were conducting surveillance and reconnaissance of potential targets.

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The police described the threat to learning institutions as particularly concerning, warning that attacks could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.

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The Department of Operations consequently directed affected formations and commands to heighten security around schools, places of worship, NYSC camps and other vulnerable locations.

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“All personnel should maintain heightened vigilance and report suspicious persons, vehicles, movements or objects through established channels,” it added.

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Commanders were ordered to intensify intelligence-led surveillance, patrols, stop-and-search operations, and access control and rapid-response arrangements around identified vulnerable locations.

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Commissioners of Police were also directed to tighten security at state borders, entry and exit routes and other critical approaches to prevent the infiltration and movement of armed elements.

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The Defence Headquarters said it was monitoring the situation.

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“We are monitoring the situation,” the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said.

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Similarly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said it had doubled its intelligence network across state commands to protect schools and other learning institutions.

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Speaking on security arrangements for the reopening of schools, the NSCDC spokesperson, Babafemi Afolabi, said intelligence-driven operations by federal and tactical squads had thwarted more than 100 attempted attacks on schools.

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Afolabi said the Commandant-General had briefed state commandants and directed officers and men to remain vigilant.

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“All tactical squads, officers, and men of the Corps in different state commands — the Commandant General has already briefed them through their commandants. So, now that schools have resumed, they’ve doubled their intelligence network, and I’m very sure that nothing of such will happen,” he said.

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Addressing concerns among parents who are apprehensive about sending their children back to school, Afolabi urged them to allow their wards to resume, while calling for greater cooperation with security agencies.

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“I would advise parents and their wards to just let them free to go to school. Nothing of such will happen. That’s why we’ve been able to work in collaboration with other stakeholders, even the community leaders,” he said.

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“This is the time we have to work and we have to do it all together because security is a collective responsibility. When they notice anything going on in their area, they should quickly alert us and let us know.”

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Afolabi added that the NSCDC was also working with private security personnel across the country to strengthen intelligence gathering.

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“Not only Civil Defence are doing this; we work together with other sister agencies, and also the private guards. We have millions of them all over the federation,” he said.

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“So, part of the training we are giving to them is to put their ear on the ground and to furnish us with any information—whatever that is going on in their area—that they should furnish us and let us know.”

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Reacting, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, and former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, urged residents and security agencies in to heighten vigilance following a security alert over possible terrorist attacks.

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Amodu said the alert was part of the responsibility of security agencies to gather and share intelligence to prevent attacks and ensure that citizens were prepared.

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He said, “Whichever department must have actually ignited or sent the alert is going to serve one and the same purpose. And it is a good thing; it’s a responsibility of the law enforcement, not only to enforce law but to gather intelligence and send alerts so that citizens can always be alert.

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“Citizens can always be ready. They cannot take things for granted. When such an alert is given, from experience, you discover that everybody will sit up.

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“Security is everybody’s business. I must be very frank with you, over the years, we Nigerians have taken things for granted. It is now dawning on us that there is a need for us to be very cautious in what we do and to be alert.”

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The former police chief urged residents to report strange persons, movements and suspicious vehicles, particularly around worship centres, to security agencies.

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He said security agencies, including the police, DSS and military, had intelligence-gathering responsibilities and would be expected to take appropriate measures after receiving such alerts.

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“Now that election is by the corner, there’s need for everybody to be more of that alertness. The security agents are doing what they are supposed to do,” Amodu said.

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Ejiofor said the DSS advisory was consistent with its responsibility to prevent and detect crime, urging other security agencies to immediately take preventive measures.

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He said, “If you get such an advisory, we should take it seriously so that people are not caught unawares.”

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Ejiofor stressed that preventing an attack was a collective responsibility involving the military, police, intelligence agencies, government and citizens.

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“Now that we have preventive information, we should be sitting up. All of us—the military, the police, the state government, the Federal Government—everybody must be involved. But most importantly, the people must be security conscious,” he said.

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He added that intelligence from local communities could help security agencies detect suspicious activities early.

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“The people must be security conscious, and they must also report back to the security agencies. That’s what this ‘see something, say something’ is important for,” Ejiofor said.

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Parents express fears

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Parents are scared of sending their children back to school amid the rising terror threats across the country, the National Secretary of the Uche Onyia-led faction of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Nabayi, has said.

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Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, Nabayi described the development as “an unfortunate” situation and appealed to governments at all levels to urgently strengthen security around schools.

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“Parents are worried now, parents are scared of sending children back to school,” he said.

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Nabayi said he believed that government had the resources to address the security challenges, urging it to deploy all resources to contain this situation.

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Nabayi further urged the Federal Government to deploy technology capable of detecting threats approaching schools.

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“I want to implore the Federal Government as well to develop, to deploy technology whereby from about five kilometres in the radius of a school, any weapon, any danger that is approaching towards the head of the school, government should be able to watch it from a distance and contain it and avoid this situation,” he said.

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He said the vulnerability of schools made it difficult for existing security personnel to repel heavily armed attackers.

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“All our schools are porous. The kind of ammunition these guys move around with is more that what the security guards in the schools have. They cannot contain them until there’s intervention of a superpower,” he said.

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He recalled that the present Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, during his tenure as Chief of Defence Staff, introduced the Safe School Initiative, under which schools were mapped out for proper coordination, surveillance and swift response to security threats.

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“When the present Minister of Defence was the Chief of Defence Staff, he rolled out a military kind of system, what he called Safe School Initiative, whereby schools were mapped out for proper coordination, for swift response and surveillance,” Nabayi said.

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He said the association reminded the minister of the initiative during a courtesy visit about three months ago, adding that the minister pledged that the Federal Government would do more to sustain the effort.

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“So, this is the climax of where we need him and the ministry and all paraphernalia of government to contain this situation,” he said.

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Nabayi also noted that communities where schools were located should play more active roles in securing the institutions.

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He called for stronger collaboration among security agencies, communities and parent-teacher associations, stressing that citizens had a role to play in providing timely information about suspicious activities around schools.

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“We want synergy between the government and the communities where schools are located. Security is not the responsibility of the government alone. The communities where schools reside should be proactive. They should say something when they see foreign objects around them,” he said.

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On whether schools in high-risk areas should be temporarily closed, Nabayi said, “Of course, that’s the best way.”

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However, he advocated relocating pupils in vulnerable areas to safer schools rather than shutting down schools completely.

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He cited a previous situation in Kaduna State, where vulnerable pupils were transported to safer areas to enable them to sit their examinations before being returned to their parents.

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“I think instead of closing down schools, they transfer to the nearby schools that are safer and more reliable in terms of security. It’s a dynamic approach,” he said.

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Nabayi stressed that prolonged school closures could further put children, particularly those without access to online learning facilities, at a disadvantage.

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He also urged the Federal Government to involve critical stakeholders, including parent-teacher associations, in efforts to protect schools and sensitise communities on preventing attacks.

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“And we implore the Federal Government to involve critical stakeholders like PTA. We can sensitise people on how to mitigate such ugly incidents,” Nabayi said.

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Nabayi added that NAPTAN had previously commenced sensitisation programmes for school administrators, pupils and other stakeholders on ways to mitigate security threats but suspended the initiative due to lack of funds.

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He said the government later introduced a military component of the Safe School Initiative under which schools were mapped and coordinated with Rapid Response Squads to facilitate quick intervention during attacks.

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He, however, expressed concern over the current state of the programme and urged the government to be more proactive in securing schools.

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“The most unfortunate thing in this country is the somersault in policy decision-making. And the issue of the Safe School Initiative—we have been clamoring for the Safe School Initiative right from the attack on the Chibok girls,” Nabayi said.

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Nabayi also advocated the use of technology to monitor activities around schools, suggesting that systems should be deployed to detect suspicious movements within a five-kilometre radius of schools and alert a central monitoring point.

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“We are saying that the government should be more proactive. We should evolve another strategy using technology in our schools,” he said.

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He urged the government to partner with NAPTAN, saying parents could contribute to efforts to educate children on how to identify danger and report suspicious activities.

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On concerns among parents over sending their children back to school amid the threats, Nabayi said the fears were legitimate, stressing that parents should not be expected to expose their children to danger.

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“For parents who are apprehensive, it is a genuine fear, and I respect that. I cannot send my child where he is not safe,” he said.

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Nabayi called for the Safe School Initiative to be “dusted off and implemented properly,” urging journalists to independently assess its implementation in schools.

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“As a journalist, go around and investigate. Conduct an independent investigation. In the schools in your community, is there any Safe School Initiative active? Who is the anchor person in that school? Who do you report to directly as the first point of contact?” he asked.

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He added that government investment in education would be undermined if students were not provided with a safe environment to learn.

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“Once the government can create a safe environment, education thrives. When there is fear, nothing can be learned,” Nabayi said.

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The latest alert comes against the backdrop of previous attacks and abductions targeting schools and other public institutions.

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In May 2026, dozens of students and teachers were abducted in separate school attacks. On May 15, armed men reportedly attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 49 pupils, teachers and a toddler. A mathematics teacher was also killed while in captivity.

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The Department of State Services had also alerted Muslim and Christian leaders in Osun State to an alleged plan by terrorists to attack places of worship and other public gathering centres ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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