The Federal Government has launched a renewed security offensive against terrorism and kidnapping, declaring that state forces will rescue abducted school children and teachers in Oyo and Borno states. The administration expressed determination to deploy all lawful instruments to dismantle criminal syndicates operating in regional forests.
Speaking at a special national security briefing tagged #UniteAgainstTerror in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that recent school abductions constitute a direct assault on the nation’s future. Delivering President Bola Tinubu’s directive, Idris emphasized that the state will meet the threat with overwhelming kinetic force.
“No child belongs in captivity,” the minister declared to grieving families, confirming that all intelligence agencies have been fully mobilized. The government has already approved the immediate recruitment of 1,000 forest guards and activated a specialized rescue team to strengthen rural security frameworks.
Ground troops neutralize insurgent commanders
The information minister disclosed that joint security operations, including intensive aerial surveillance and community intelligence gathering, are yielding positive outcomes across vulnerable border communities. He cited recent military victories in the North-East where troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled multiple insurgent incursions in Borno State.
The military operation successfully eliminated over 50 terrorists, including several top commanders, along the strategic Kirawa-Pulka and Ngoshe corridors. Furthermore, a joint Nigeria-United States supported intelligence operation conducted in May disrupted the logistics networks of the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), killing key leaders and rescuing 92 civilian captives near Buratai.
On the judicial front, Idris announced that the Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four terrorists to death for their roles in the 2022 Owo church attack. The minister stated that Nigeria is currently undertaking 508 terrorism-related prosecutions, which have already resulted in 386 landmark convictions.
This comprehensive anti-terror update reflects official state briefings reported by Daily Trust and Premium Times.
