Tinubu Orders Non-stop Air Surveillance to Flush Out Bandits in Kwara, Kebbi

Tinubu Orders Non-stop Air Surveillance to Flush Out Bandits in Kwara, Kebbi
Air Force is to maintain uninterrupted surveillance and coordinate its operations with ground troops
Orders the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs to bolster community-level policing nationwide

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered 24-hour aerial surveillance across forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and parts of Niger State as part of a renewed nationwide offensive against insurgency and banditry.

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Eko Hot Blog reports that the directive, announced by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, through his verified X handle, mandates the Nigerian Air Force to expand air operations into the deepest parts of the forests where armed groups are believed to be hiding.

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In line with the order, the Air Force is to maintain uninterrupted surveillance and coordinate its operations with ground troops already deployed on rescue and counter-terror missions. The same level of operational intensity will also be applied along the Kebbi–Niger corridor, where multiple rescue efforts are active.

The directive follows a disturbing escalation of attacks across the Northcentral and Northwest, including the recent mass abduction of worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, and kidnappings in Kebbi and Niger.

Just on Sunday, 38 abductees from Eruku were rescued, 51 Niger pupils were reunited with their families, and kidnapped Kebbi students also regained freedom.

Tinubu Orders Non-stop Air Surveillance to Flush Out Bandits in Kwara, Kebbi

However, in a fresh attack yesterday, bandits stormed Isapa community in Kwara State, abducting 11 residents, including a pregnant woman, children and nursing mothers. Eyewitnesses reported heavy gunfire, with bullet holes left in homes and spent AK-47 shells recovered after the attackers fled.

The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, visited the community for an assessment. According to police spokesperson DSP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, tactical teams responded swiftly, though 10 persons were confirmed to have been taken.

She added that the CP met with traditional rulers and community leaders to assure them of intensified efforts. A joint search-and-rescue operation involving police tactical units and local vigilantes is ongoing, with normalcy gradually returning to the area.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has directed all security agencies to adopt an “all-out, no-retreat posture” until all perpetrators are neutralised and every abducted citizen is rescued.

Last week, he also ordered the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs to bolster community-level policing nationwide.

Security analysts say the new full-spectrum cordon reflects the administration’s determination to restore stability and send a clear signal to armed groups terrorising rural communities.