Terrorists, Informants Spying On Schools, Worship Centres, Others – Police
Security agencies have heightened surveillance around schools, NYSC orientation camps, places of worship and other vulnerable locations following intelligence reports indicating plans by terrorists to launch coordinated attacks across the country.
The Nigeria Police Force, in a security alert circulated to its formations nationwide, warned that the planned attacks could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session.
According to the police, intelligence available to the Department of Operations indicated an increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on places of worship, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations.
The communication was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1 to 17, Mobile Police units, counter-terrorism and other specialised formations, as well as Commissioners of Police in all states.
It was also copied to departments and formations at Force Headquarters, including Intelligence, Finance and Administration, the Directorate of Training and Development, the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Research and Planning, Information and Communication Technology, and the Force Security Department.
The police said intelligence had revealed the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
“There is an increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on places of worship, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations,” the alert stated.
The Force further said suspected Islamic State West Africa Province operatives and their local collaborators were conducting surveillance and reconnaissance of potential targets.
The police described the threat to learning institutions as particularly concerning, warning that the attacks could coincide with the reopening of schools for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Consequently, the Department of Operations directed affected formations and commands to strengthen security around schools, places of worship, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations.
“All personnel should maintain heightened vigilance and report suspicious persons, vehicles, movements or objects through established channels,” it added.
Commanders were also ordered to intensify intelligence-led surveillance, patrols, stop-and-search operations, access control and rapid-response arrangements around identified vulnerable locations.
Commissioners of Police were further directed to tighten security at state borders, entry and exit routes and other critical approaches to prevent the infiltration and movement of armed elements.
The Defence Headquarters also said it was monitoring the situation.
“We are monitoring the situation,” the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said.
Similarly, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said it had doubled its intelligence network across its state commands to protect schools and other learning institutions.
Speaking on security arrangements for the reopening of schools, the NSCDC spokesperson, Babafemi Afolabi, said intelligence-driven operations by federal and tactical squads had thwarted more than 100 attempted attacks on schools.
Afolabi said the Commandant-General had briefed state commandants and directed officers and men to remain vigilant.
“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,” he said.
Addressing concerns among parents who are apprehensive about sending their children back to school, Afolabi urged them to allow their wards to resume while calling for greater cooperation with security agencies.
“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 said.
He added, “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.”
Afolabi said the NSCDC was also working with private security personnel across the country to strengthen intelligence gathering.
He said private security guards were being trained to provide information about suspicious activities within their communities.
Reacting to the security alert, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, and former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, urged residents and security agencies to heighten vigilance.
Amodu said the alert was part of the responsibility of security agencies to gather and share intelligence to prevent attacks and ensure that citizens remained prepared.
He said security was a collective responsibility and urged Nigerians to be more cautious and alert.
The former police chief also advised residents to report strange persons, suspicious movements and vehicles, particularly around worship centres, to security agencies.
Ejiofor said the advisory was consistent with the responsibility of intelligence agencies to prevent and detect crime, urging other security agencies to immediately take preventive measures.
“If you get such an advisory, we should take it seriously so that people are not caught unawares,” Ejiofor said.
He stressed that preventing attacks was a collective responsibility involving the military, police, intelligence agencies, government and citizens.
“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,” he said.
Ejiofor added that intelligence from local communities could help security agencies detect suspicious activities early, urging residents to report anything unusual.
Parents Express Fears
Despite assurances from security agencies, some parents have expressed concerns about sending their children back to school amid the reported terror threats.
The National Secretary of the Uche Onyia-led faction of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Nabayi, described the situation as unfortunate and called on governments at all levels to urgently strengthen security around schools.
“Parents are worried now, parents are scared of sending children back to school,” Nabayi said.
He urged the Federal Government to deploy technology capable of detecting threats approaching schools and strengthen existing security arrangements.
Nabayi also advocated stronger collaboration among security agencies, communities and parent-teacher associations, stressing that residents had a role to play in providing timely information about suspicious activities.
He said vulnerable schools could be relocated temporarily to safer locations rather than being shut down completely.
“I think instead of closing down schools, they transfer to the nearby schools that are safer and more reliable in terms of security. It’s a dynamic approach,” he said.
Nabayi further called for the revival and proper implementation of the Safe School Initiative, saying prolonged school closures could put children at an educational disadvantage.
He urged the government to involve critical stakeholders, including parent-teacher associations, in efforts to protect schools and sensitise communities on how to prevent attacks.
He also called for greater use of technology to monitor activities around schools, particularly within a five-kilometre radius.
On the concerns of parents, Nabayi said their fears were legitimate, adding that no parent should be expected to expose a child to danger.
“For parents who are apprehensive, it is a genuine fear, and I respect that. I cannot send my child where he is not safe,” he said.
He urged journalists and other stakeholders to independently assess the implementation of the Safe School Initiative in schools.
“Once the government can create a safe environment, education thrives. When there is fear, nothing can be learned,” Nabayi said.
The latest alert comes against the backdrop of previous attacks and abductions targeting schools and other public institutions.
In May 2026, armed men reportedly attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 49 pupils, teachers and a toddler. A mathematics teacher was also reportedly killed while in captivity.
The Department of State Services had also alerted Muslim and Christian leaders in Osun State to an alleged plan by terrorists to attack places of worship and other public gathering centres ahead of the 2027 general elections.