The Nigeria Police Force has raised the alarm over intelligence indicating that terrorist groups and their suspected informants are conducting surveillance on schools, worship centres, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable locations across the country.
The warning was contained in a security alert issued by the Department of Operations and circulated to police formations nationwide.
Recall that NPO reported that The Department of State Services had earlier raised a separate alarm in Osun State, warning Muslim and Christian leaders about an alleged plan by terrorists to attack places of worship and other public gathering centres ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the police, the development is linked to increased mobilisation by terrorist elements ahead of the 2026/2027 academic session, with possible coordinated attacks on identified targets.
The force said intelligence reports indicated that armed groups were moving from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State, while suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and their local collaborators were carrying out reconnaissance of potential targets.
The police consequently directed commissioners of police and other formations to strengthen security around vulnerable locations through intelligence-led surveillance, patrols, stop-and-search operations, access control and rapid-response measures.
Border communities, entry and exit routes, as well as other strategic locations, were also ordered to come under tighter surveillance to prevent suspected terrorists and their collaborators from moving freely.
The Defence Headquarters said it was aware of the development and was monitoring the situation.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, said, “We are monitoring the situation.”
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps also announced measures to reinforce its intelligence-gathering operations in response to the alert.
The NSCDC spokesperson, Babafemi Afolabi, said tactical squads had prevented more than 100 attempted attacks on schools, adding that the Commandant-General had directed state commandants to maintain heightened vigilance.
Afolabi urged parents not to allow the security concerns to discourage their children from returning to school, stressing that protecting educational institutions required cooperation among security agencies, communities and private security personnel.
Former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ali Amodu, similarly advised Nigerians to remain alert and promptly report suspicious individuals, vehicles and movements to the authorities.
Amodu said security agencies should strengthen intelligence gathering and preventive operations, particularly with the 2027 general elections approaching.
Former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, also urged authorities to treat the intelligence as a serious warning and act before the suspected attacks could materialise.
He called on residents to share timely information about suspicious activities with security agencies.
Meanwhile, parents have expressed concerns over the safety of children following the police alert.
The National Secretary of the Uche Onyia-led faction of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Nabayi, called for increased security around schools and urged the government to deploy technology capable of detecting suspicious activities within a five-kilometre radius of educational institutions.
Nabayi also advocated the revival and effective implementation of the Safe School Initiative, alongside stronger collaboration between parent-teacher associations, communities and security agencies.
He suggested that students in schools located in highly vulnerable areas could be temporarily relocated to safer environments rather than having the institutions shut down indefinitely.