Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, has met with President Bola Tinubu to update him on Nigeria’s worsening security situation, following a recent surge in abductions and violent attacks, particularly across the northern region.
The disclosure was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who noted in a Saturday statement that Ajayi held a late-night meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa. Photographs released afterward showed the DSS Chief inside the President’s office. Although officials did not reveal the full details of the briefing, it was confirmed that the conversation centred on the country’s current security challenges.
“The Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Mr Tosin Adeola Ajayi, briefed President Bola Tinubu on the security situation on Friday night,” Onanuga wrote.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Federal Government has launched a joint task force comprising all security agencies to intensify operations across the northern region, where hundreds of schoolchildren have been abducted in a string of coordinated attacks. President Tinubu had earlier directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to oversee rescue operations.
International attention is also mounting. United States President Donald Trump has offered to support Nigeria’s efforts to curb the rise in school abductions. His offer came after a meeting in Washington between US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. Their engagement occurred shortly after the US designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and Trump issued threats of consequences over what he described as persecution of Christians.
Wave of Abductions
Pressure is building on the Presidency as a series of coordinated school attacks continues to generate fear across northern communities.
In the early hours of Friday, gunmen stormed St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, abducting hundreds of students and staff. According to Wasiu Abiodun, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, security personnel have begun combing surrounding forests in pursuit of the attackers.
Niger State Commissioner of Police, Abdullahi Elleman, said the Command had intensified its search efforts to ensure the victims’ safe return. He urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with ongoing security operations. Elleman also stated that investigations would extend to the school’s management for continuing academic activities despite a state directive ordering all schools to shut down.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State later provided updated figures after a verification exercise. CAN Chairman, Most Rev Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, confirmed that 315 people were abducted 303 students and 12 teachers. Witnesses added that the attackers arrived on more than 60 motorcycles and shot the school’s gatekeeper before rounding up students.
This attack adds to a troubling pattern. Before the Niger incident, gunmen had abducted 25 schoolgirls in Maga, Kebbi State. Additionally, 38 people were kidnapped and two killed during an attack at the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State, where the assailants reportedly demanded ₦100 million ransom per victim.
The Federal Government has since ordered the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges nationwide due to rising insecurity. Education Minister, Tunji Alausa, approved the shutdown following “recent security challenges” and the urgent need to prevent further breaches. Several states have also suspended school activities as threats continue to escalate.
Meanwhile, tension flared in Nasarawa State on Friday after a false report circulated claiming that pupils had been abducted from St Peter’s Academy in Rukubi. Police quickly dismissed the rumour, describing the claim as “false and not reflective of the true state of affairs”.
The growing national security crisis has forced President Tinubu to cancel planned trips to Johannesburg and Angola, choosing instead to remain in the country to coordinate security responses.
What You Should Know
Nigeria is confronting a dangerous resurgence of mass kidnappings, particularly in northern schools and religious centres, prompting urgent intervention from security agencies and international partners.
President Tinubu has intensified military and intelligence efforts, while the US has offered support amid heightened global concern.
Rising attacks have triggered school closures nationwide and increased scrutiny of the government’s security strategy as communities seek swift, decisive action to protect students and restore public confidence.
