The Federal Government has deployed a specialised rescue team and authorised the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards following the abduction of school children and teachers in Oyo and Borno States.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, announced this on Thursday at a special security briefing in Abuja titled ‘Unite Against Terror’.
Idris said President Bola Tinubu directed that “every lawful instrument available to the Nigerian state be deployed” to secure the release of victims in captivity.
He said the recruitment of forest guards was to strengthen security in vulnerable communities and forests.
The minister said terrorists attacked a school in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, with at least 42 children reported missing.
He added that multiple security and intelligence agencies, including the Armed Forces, DSS, NPF, NIA, ONSA, and NCTC, are coordinating intelligence gathering, aerial surveillance, and search-and-rescue operations.
Idris said the Tinubu administration was pursuing state policing as part of an overhaul of the nation’s security architecture.
He noted that since May 2023, security forces had neutralised hundreds of terrorists, arrested suspects, and rescued kidnapping victims nationwide.
Idris also reported recent operational gains: in Borno, troops repelled infiltration attempts along Kirawa-Pulka and Ngoshe axes and neutralised over 50 terrorists last week. The Theatre Commander said about 1,000 terrorist elements were eliminated in Q1 2026.
In the justice sector, Idris said a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four terrorists to death on Wednesday for the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
He stated that 386 convictions were recorded out of 508 terrorism-related cases tried in April 2026.
The minister urged media organisations to avoid sensationalism and called for public vigilance and information sharing to support security agencies.
FG Deploys Rescue Team, 1,000 Forest Guards After School Abductions in Oyo, Borno
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