President Bola Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive security cordon around forests in Kwara State following a series of recent kidnappings and terrorist activities.
The directive was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement posted on X by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare.
According to Dare, the President instructed the Nigerian Air Force to expand its air surveillance across the innermost parts of the forests in Kwara, where terrorist groups are believed to be hiding.
The Air Force is expected to maintain 24-hour surveillance and work closely with ground troops already positioned in the affected areas.
He explained that the directive also covers the forest corridors linking Kebbi and Niger States, where several kidnapped victims are still expected to be rescued.
Communities in these zones have been urged to quickly report any suspicious movements or activities to aid security operations.
The order follows the recent abduction and rescue of 38 churchgoers in Eruku, as well as the kidnapping of at least 10 residents on Monday evening in Isapa, a neighbouring community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The latest attack occurred around 6 p.m. when an estimated 20 to 30 armed bandits invaded the quiet agrarian town, moving with a large herd of cattle and firing shots indiscriminately as residents fled.
The attackers reportedly passed through several parts of Isapa, shooting into homes and abducting residents, including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers and children.
The Isapa incident marks the third major assault on communities in Ekiti LGA within a month.
Three weeks earlier, 18 residents were kidnapped in Eruku but were later rescued.
Last week, 38 worshippers were abducted from a church during a thanksgiving service and were also released.
