Nigeria’s security apparatus has been placed on its “highest alert” by President Bola Tinubu following a wave of deadly attacks in Kebbi and Kwara states, the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Idris said Tinubu expressed deep sympathy to families affected by killings, abductions and other violent crimes, stressing that the president had ordered the military, police and intelligence agencies to hunt down and eliminate terrorists, bandits and criminal networks nationwide.
The president also directed security forces to ensure the swift rescue of the schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi, describing the recent incidents — including the killing of a senior army general, the kidnapping of students, and the attack on a church in Kwara — as painful reminders of the threats Nigeria continues to face.
According to Idris, the latest attacks have only strengthened the government’s resolve. Tinubu has postponed upcoming international engagements, including the G20 meeting in South Africa, to concentrate fully on domestic security operations. Additional deployments of military and police personnel have already been approved for Eruku community and other areas of Ekiti LGA in Kwara.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima is currently in Birnin Kebbi on the president’s directive, meeting with the governor, security chiefs, traditional rulers and relatives of the abducted students as part of the government’s response.
Idris also pushed back against attempts to frame the security crisis as a religious conflict. He said the federal government “categorically refutes any sectarian interpretation”, insisting that terrorism and banditry target Nigerians of all faiths.
“In this critical moment, national unity is our most powerful asset,” the minister said, urging citizens to resist misinformation and support security agencies as operations intensify.
He expressed confidence that ongoing efforts would lead to the rescue of the kidnapped schoolgirls and restore peace in the affected communities.
Earlier, George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation, warned that recent comments by US President Donald Trump had emboldened violent groups. Trump had labelled Nigeria a “country of particular concern”, accusing the government of ignoring attacks on Christians — remarks Akume said were being exploited by armed groups to justify renewed violence.
