FG strengthens airport and prison security due to rebel plot

Security agencies have strengthened surveillance at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and prison facilities in Abuja and Niger State following intelligence reports of a coordinated terrorist plot to attack the sites and free detained rebels.

The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria Correctional Service confirmed the measures on Thursday, describing them as proactive responses to a credible threat.

The development follows a Washington Post report on an internal Nigerian Customs Service memo, dated April 13, 2026, and signed by Deputy Comptroller General Timi Bomodi, which revealed plans by fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province, Boko Haram, Ansaru and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen to attack Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the Kuje holding center in the FCT and a soldier. detention center in Wawa, Niger State.

The two-page document warned that ISWAP fighters had already infiltrated the FCT ahead of the planned attacks and drew parallels between the plan and Islamic State attacks on Niamey and Tahoua air facilities in Niger Republic, suggesting a deliberate intent to replicate the scheme on Nigerian soil.

The threat is not unprecedented. In July 2022, a coordinated assault on Kuje Correctional Center by multiple terrorist groups freed 64 inmates. Three months later, terrorists attempted to breach the Wawa cantonment in Borgu LGA, Niger State, to free detained rebels, although the attack was repelled with several attackers killed or arrested.

The Sadiku Boko Haram faction, which operates alongside Ansaru and JNIM near Kainji Lake National Park, is also active in the region. The group moved from Shiroro LGA, Niger State to Kainji axis in July 2025 and subsequently abducted over 300 students and staff of St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri. He has also been linked to the abduction of over 100 women and children from Woro in Kwara State and communities in Niger State.

In response to the note, the Customs Service ordered operators to strengthen surveillance around the airport and other strategic assets, ordered thorough screening of all visitors, and deployed specialized anti-smuggling and intelligence units to strengthen vulnerable points.

Airport Police Command spokesperson Adeola Muhammed said the command remained “fully alert and under control”, adding that multiple levels of checks at the airport were able to detect suspicious activity.

“The command is always aware of potential security threats and we are ready to increase measures according to the situation. Whether you are entering or exiting the airport, you will be thoroughly screened,” he said.

Immigration Service spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi said the NIS had strengthened security at all facilities in the FCT and expressed confidence in the response of the police and military.

The Nigerian Correctional Service, through its spokesperson Jane Osuji, said custody centers have been placed on high alert nationwide, particularly in the FCT, and urged Nigerians to go about their daily activities without panic.

Security analysts, however, have raised concerns about systemic gaps in Nigeria’s response to intelligence warnings. Chidi Omeje warned that past failures to act on detailed threat reports had led to avoidable attacks.

“The clearest thing the government should do is take intelligence reports seriously. We have already had similar experiences where the warnings were detailed, but the predictions came true,” he said.

Lekan Jackson-Ojo criticized what he described as a recurring pattern of inadequate and short-lived security deployments and warned against concentrating resources in Abuja at the expense of other vulnerable states.

“If all attention is shifted to Abuja, it creates loopholes elsewhere, which these groups can exploit,” he said, specifically citing Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara as risk areas.

**744 former insurgents have completed the deradicalization program**

Separately, no fewer than 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism graduated from the federal government’s Operation Safe Corridor Deradicalization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration Camp on Thursday, in a ceremony held in Gombe.

The graduates include 597 from Borno, 58 from Yobe, 15 from Kano, 12 from Bauchi and 10 from Adamawa, among others. Four participants are from the Republic of Niger, two from Chad, two from Burkina Faso and one from Cameroon. Of the total, 733 are Muslims and 11 Christians.

The Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, represented by Rear Admiral Kabiru Tanimu, described the program as a strategic, and not a sentimental, tool to combat extremism.

“This is not a reward but a deliberate strategy to reduce violence, weaken extremist recruitment and promote long-term stability,” Oluyede said, adding that kinetic military operations alone cannot ensure lasting peace.

He urged graduates to embrace their second chances, firmly warning them against a return to violence. “Nigeria is giving you a second chance; don’t waste it,” he said.

Operation Safe Corridor Coordinator Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali said the beneficiaries underwent psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, civic education and behavioral transformation, noting that many were coerced or kidnapped into militant groups.

“From this moment, they have the opportunity to reclaim their identity, rebuild their lives and pursue a future defined not by conflict but by purpose,” he said.

Gombe State Governor Muhammad Yahaya, represented by his SSA on Security and Intergovernmental Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Musa, charged the graduates to become productive and law-abiding citizens.

“You have been given a second chance; don’t take it for granted. Don’t betray the trust Nigeria has placed in you,” he said.

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