Former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, has raised alarm that the recent surge in mass abductions across northern Nigeria may be a desperate strategy by bandits who fear potential U.S. military action following comments credited to President Donald Trump.
Speaking at an Abuja reception in honour of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was recently elected Chairman of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Gana said emerging intelligence suggests that criminal gangs are seizing schoolchildren and villagers as human shields.
According to him, a phone call he received shortly before the event pointed to a noticeable shift in the pattern of attacks, with many kidnappings occurring near forest corridors—locations the bandits consider safe if aerial operations intensify.
“It is extremely worrying to see younger ones being abducted across the country,” he said.
“Somebody phoned me to say that the bandits are taking the threat from the U.S. President seriously. It appears they are now mobilising human shields to protect themselves. They know they are being targeted from the air.”
Gana, a professor of geography, said the locations of the most recent attacks—Kebbi, Niger and Zamfara—reinforce this suspicion because they are close to dense forests frequently used as bandit hideouts.
His warning comes amid a renewed escalation of abductions: 25 female students were taken from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, 315 pupils, students and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Private School, Papiri, in Agwara, Niger State and Similar incidents have been reported in Zamfara.
Gana urged security agencies to urgently review the evolving pattern and advised the Federal Government to strengthen international cooperation, noting that “technology has advanced to the point where criminals can be targeted from the air.”
Speaking at the event, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, confirmed that global media organisations are already demanding updates on the kidnappings but stressed that the government’s priority is securing the release of the abductees.
“My response to them is that while numbers matter, we are focused on getting these children safely home,” he said, insisting that security agencies are working round the clock under President Bola Tinubu’s directive.
He cautioned against narratives suggesting that insecurity is confined to particular regions, describing such claims as “inaccurate and unhelpful.”
Idris also highlighted positive economic indicators—including GDP growth and falling inflation—adding that this was “not the time to report Nigeria negatively to the world.”
At the event, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, commended Customs CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi on his election as WCO Chairman, describing it as a strong endorsement of Nigeria’s economic reform trajectory.
She said his digital transformation and revenue optimisation drive align with President Tinubu’s economic priorities, but warned that insecurity and misinformation continue to erode public trust.
President of the NIPR, Dr Ike Neliaku, also paid tribute to Adeniyi, describing him as a humble, disciplined public servant who rose through the ranks despite not being an operations officer.
“He kept dodging until we finally caught him and insisted he must be celebrated,” Neliaku said.
