Security agencies across Nigeria have stepped up surveillance and operational readiness around academic institutions, NYSC orientation camps, places of worship, and other susceptible locations following intelligence reports exposing plans by terrorist groups to execute coordinated nationwide attacks.
The Nigeria Police Force issued an internal security alert warning that the planned offensives might be timed to match the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session. Intelligence gathered by the Department of Operations highlighted an “increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks” on these vulnerable points. The directive was issued to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police across Zones 1–17, state Commissioners of Police, Mobile Police units, counter-terrorism squads, and critical departments at Force Headquarters.
The intelligence specifically identified the movement of armed elements traveling from Katsina through Kaduna toward Plateau State. Reports indicate that suspected Islamic State West Africa Province operatives and local collaborators have been conducting reconnaissance on potential targets. Police authorities labeled the threat to learning institutions as particularly concerning, warning that strikes could coincide with students returning to class.
In response, the Department of Operations ordered tactical units and state commands to reinforce security measures. “All personnel should maintain heightened vigilance and report suspicious persons, vehicles, movements or objects through established channels,” the communication noted. Unit heads were instructed to execute intelligence-led surveillance, frequent patrols, stop-and-search operations, access control, and swift response setups. State Commissioners were further directed to secure state borders and entry routes to intercept armed groups.
The military confirmed it is closely tracking developments. “We are monitoring the situation,” stated Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, Director of Defence Media Operations.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps announced an expansion of its intelligence apparatus. NSCDC spokesperson Babafemi Afolabi revealed that tactical operations had previously thwarted over 100 attempted attacks on academic institutions.
“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,” Afolabi said.
Addressing public anxiety, Afolabi encouraged families to allow their children to attend school while emphasizing joint vigilance. “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 stated. “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.” He added that the Corps is coordinating with millions of private security personnel: “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. 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.”
Security experts have voiced support for proactive measures. Former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Ali Amodu described the early warning as a vital public safety step. “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. 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,” Amodu explained. He stressed the importance of community involvement, adding, “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. 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.”
Former DSS Director Mike Ejiofor reinforced the necessity of taking advisories seriously. “If you get such an advisory, we should take it seriously so that people are not caught unawares,” Ejiofor remarked. He emphasized that preventing strikes requires total synergy: “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. 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.”
Despite these assurances, apprehension remains high among families. Farouk Nababa, representing the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, expressed deep concern over the threat. “Parents are worried now, parents are scared of sending children back to school,” Nababa noted, describing the scenario as unfortunate while appealing for urgent state intervention and technology deployment. “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.”
Nababa pointed out that most facilities lack adequate defense against heavily armed groups. “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, recalling previous efforts like the Safe School Initiative introduced by Defense Minister Christopher Musa to improve emergency response and school security mapping.
