Nigerian security agencies have placed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Kuje Custodial Centre and a military detention facility in Niger State on high alert following an intelligence memo warning that ISWAP, Boko Haram, Ansaru and JNIM fighters are plotting coordinated attacks to free detained insurgents.
Nigeria’s security apparatus is on edge following a leaked intelligence memo from the Nigerian Customs Service warning of imminent terrorist attacks on the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the Kuje Custodial Centre in Abuja, and a military detention facility in Wawa, Niger State. The April 13 memo, signed by Deputy Comptroller General Timi Bomodi, disclosed that fighters from ISWAP, Boko Haram, Ansaru, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen have allegedly already infiltrated the FCT in preparation for the strikes, with the airport attack bearing deliberate similarities to Islamic State assaults on aviation facilities in Niamey and Tahoua in the Niger Republic.
The Nigeria Police Force, Immigration Service, and Correctional Service have all responded with heightened security measures. Airport Police spokesperson Adeola Muhammed sought to reassure the public, stating that “the command is always aware of potential security threats, and we are prepared to scale up measures as the situation demands. Whether you are entering or exiting the airport, you will be thoroughly screened.” The Correctional Service’s Jane Osuji similarly urged calm: “We want to assure Nigerians that our facilities in Abuja and other states are on high alert. We have taken proactive steps.”
The threat carries grim historical precedent. In July 2022, a coordinated attack on Kuje Correctional Centre freed 64 detainees. Security analyst Chidi Omeje warned the government against complacency, saying “we’ve had such experiences before where warnings were detailed, yet the predictions came to pass.” Fellow analyst Lekan Jackson-Ojo cautioned against concentrating resources solely in Abuja: “If all attention is shifted to Abuja, it creates loopholes elsewhere, which these groups can exploit.”