Police alert: Terrorists, informants spying on schools, worship centers, and NYSC camps

The Nigeria Police Force has alerted its formations nationwide to intelligence suggesting terrorists and their informants are conducting surveillance on schools, worship centres, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations, according to a report by PUNCH.

The security alert, issued by the Force Department of Operations, warned of an “increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks” that could coincide with the resumption of the 2026/2027 academic session. The police said armed elements were reportedly moving from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State, while suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operatives and local collaborators were carrying out reconnaissance of potential targets, with the North-East, North-West, North-Central and South-West flagged as areas of concern.

The alert, circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1 to 17, Mobile Police units, counter-terrorism formations and Commissioners of Police nationwide, directed commanders to intensify intelligence-led surveillance, patrols, stop-and-search operations, access control and rapid-response measures around vulnerable sites, and to tighten security at state borders and other entry routes.

Reacting to the alert, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Ali Amodu and former DSS Director Mike Ejiofor urged security agencies to take the warning seriously and the public to report suspicious persons, vehicles and movements. The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria’s Ibrahim Nabayi said parents were anxious about their children’s safety and appealed for stronger security around schools. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said it had doubled its intelligence network to protect learning institutions, while the Defence Headquarters said it was monitoring the situation.