President Bola Tinubu has received a security briefing from the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, following a surge in school abductions and attacks across the northern region.
The meeting, disclosed on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, took place late Friday at the Presidential Villa. Photographs released showed the DSS chief with President Tinubu in his office. Although details of the discussions were not revealed, officials confirmed the briefing centred on the country’s worsening security situation.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Federal Government has set up a joint task force comprising all security agencies to comb affected areas for abducted schoolchildren. Tinubu had earlier directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate rescue operations.
International attention has also intensified. United States President Donald Trump has offered assistance to Nigeria in tackling the resurgence of school abductions. The offer followed a meeting in Washington between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, shortly after the US designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.”
Public anxiety has soared after a string of recent attacks. In the early hours of Friday, armed men stormed St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, abducting hundreds.
Niger State Police spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident and said security teams were searching nearby forests. The state’s Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, said a full-scale rescue operation was underway and appealed to residents for cooperation. He added that the school management would face sanctions for defying a government directive to suspend academic activities.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, later released updated figures from a verification exercise, confirming that 315 persons were abducted — 303 students and 12 teachers. Witnesses said the attackers rode in on more than 60 motorcycles and killed the school’s gatekeeper.
The Niger attack came days after 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped in Maga, Kebbi State, during a Sunday night raid. Similarly, 38 worshippers were abducted and two people killed when gunmen attacked the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, on Tuesday. The attackers reportedly demanded ₦100 million ransom per victim.
Amid the deteriorating security climate, the Federal Government has ordered the shutdown of 41 Federal Unity Colleges. Education Minister Tunji Alausa approved the closure citing “recent security challenges” and the need to prevent further breaches. Several states have also shut down schools as threats continue to rise.
Growing tension triggered a false alarm in Nasarawa State on Friday after claims circulated that two pupils had been abducted from St Peter’s Academy, Rukubi. Police dismissed the report as untrue.
The worsening situation has forced President Tinubu to cancel scheduled trips to Johannesburg and Angola as he focuses on overseeing national security efforts.
