Our Correspondent | Crime
Nigeria’s deepening security crisis worsened at the weekend as bandits, insurgents and armed groups launched coordinated attacks across multiple states, abducting at least 490 people in a 13-day wave of violence that has overwhelmed rural communities and exposed persistent gaps in national security operations.
Between 18 and 30 November, widespread raids were recorded in Kwara, Kogi, Kano, Niger, Borno, Sokoto and even the Federal Capital Territory, with victims ranging from schoolchildren, farmers and worshippers to traditional rulers, travellers and a bride on her wedding weekend.
The Senate on Sunday warned that Nigeria must urgently strengthen community-based policing structures, insisting that federal forces are overstretched despite President Bola Tinubu’s nationwide security emergency and ongoing military operations in flashpoint regions.
Unfolding Attacks Across Seven States
The most recent attacks reflect a disturbing escalation.
Abuja
On 28 November, seven mourners — six girls and a 16-year-old boy — were kidnapped at Gidan Bijimi, Bwari Area Council.
Niger State
In separate incidents,
- 24 farm workers, including pregnant women, were abducted in Shiroro LGA;
- 315 persons, including 303 students and 12 teachers of St Mary’s Private Schools, were seized in Papiri on 21 November. About 50 later escaped.
Kwara State
The current wave began on 18 November, when 38 worshippers were abducted during a Thanksgiving service in Eruku, Ekiti LGA.
On 25 November, the police confirmed another 10 persons were kidnapped in a fresh attack.
On Saturday, the Ojibara of Bayagan Ile, Oba Kamilu Salami, was abducted from his farm. His captors have since demanded ₦150 million ransom, compelling the monarch to confirm his captivity during a phone call to the palace.
Borno State
On 23 November, ISWAP militants kidnapped 12 teenage girls while they were working on a farm in Askira/Uba LGA. They were later rescued by security forces.
Kogi State
Gunmen abducted two travellers on 30 November and seized 21 passengers along a highway the following day; all were later rescued.
On Sunday morning, armed men stormed a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, abducting the pastor, his wife and several worshippers.
Sokoto State
At least 30 women, including a bride, her friends and visiting wedding guests, were kidnapped when bandits attacked Chacho community in Wurno LGA early Saturday.
Residents described the attack as a “devastating blow” on a day families had prepared for celebration.
Eyewitness Hadiyatullahi Tarah said the gunmen moved house-to-house, adding that the number of abductees “could rise beyond the initial estimate of 30.”
Kano Raises Fresh Alarm
In Kano, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin urged security agencies to intensify operations following attacks in Tsanyawa and Shanono LGAs, warning that fleeing bandits must not be allowed to establish new camps in the state.
A woman was killed and three others kidnapped in Yankamaye village on Saturday.
Senate: Nigeria Must Rely on Local Solutions
Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, who chairs the Committee on Insecurity (North-Central and South-South), told The PUNCH that Nigeria must not depend on foreign military intervention — including the proposed US support — to defeat terrorism.
“Nigeria is a sovereign country. It should be able to develop appropriate strategies to solve its problems. America will not solve our problems,” he said.
Moro argued that community intelligence networks, vigilantes and hunters are often more effective than external forces, urging the government to integrate them into national operations.
HURIWA: Terrorists Are ‘Testing the President’
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) condemned the Ejiba church attack, calling it a “direct affront” to President Tinubu’s security emergency.
National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko accused the government of lacking urgency, saying the administration had failed to decisively address mass abductions.
He criticised the retention of Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun despite his statutory retirement age, alleging that the President had altered the Police Act to extend his tenure.
HURIWA linked rising insecurity to what it described as nepotistic appointments and insufficient political will, saying:
“Granting amnesty or so-called reintegration to terrorists is unconstitutional, unjust and fuels further violence. Terrorists do not repent. They must face the full weight of the law.”
Presidency Rejects Obasanjo’s Call for Foreign Security Takeover
The Presidency dismissed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s suggestion that Nigeria should outsource internal security to foreign powers, calling the idea “capitulation.”
Special Adviser on Media and Communication Sunday Dare insisted that President Tinubu’s strategies are already yielding results, warning that disparaging Nigeria’s capacity hands psychological victories to terrorists.
He said the Tinubu administration is confronting “full-spectrum terrorism” with both kinetic and non-kinetic operations.
Security experts note that the spread of attacks across seven states in under two weeks underscores the Senate’s concerns about overstretched security agencies. Communities across affected regions continue to appeal for rapid intervention, improved surveillance and sustained rescue operations for the hundreds still in captivity.