Security Alert: Intelligence Warns of Planned Jihadist Attacks on Abuja Airport, Prisons
By Passman Akpos
Fresh security concerns have emerged in Nigeria’s capital as intelligence reports indicate that jihadist groups are plotting coordinated attacks on key facilities in Abuja, including the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and the Kuje Prison.
According to an internal memo prepared by the Nigeria Customs Service and obtained by AFP, the planned attacks are being orchestrated by extremist factions including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. The document, dated April 13, calls for heightened security across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following what it described as a “credible report” of imminent threats.
The memo revealed that the attackers are targeting strategic locations on the outskirts of Abuja, including the airport, Kuje prison, and the Wawa Military Prison. Security sources warned that operatives linked to ISWAP have allegedly infiltrated the FCT to coordinate the assaults.
Kuje prison remains a sensitive location after a dramatic 2022 jailbreak in which hundreds of inmates, including suspected terrorists, escaped during an ISWAP-led हमला. The facility lies roughly 45 kilometres from the Presidential Villa, heightening fears over its vulnerability.
In a related development, authorities in Kuje Area Council recently imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in several surrounding communities following intelligence reports of a possible armed assault on the prison.
The memo also linked the planned airport attack to recent extremist operations in neighbouring countries, particularly in Niger Republic, where aviation facilities have come under assault. Analysts say this suggests a growing regional coordination among jihadist groups.
Further intelligence indicates that the planned attack on the Wawa facility may involve collaboration between Boko Haram elements, the Nigerian-based group Ansaru, and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which operates across the Sahel.
The renewed threat comes amid a broader escalation of violence across Nigeria, particularly in the northeast, where insurgent groups have intensified attacks on military installations.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the United States Embassy in Abuja authorized the departure of non-emergency personnel, citing a deteriorating security environment. Nigerian authorities, however, have maintained that Abuja remains safe and dismissed the advisory as precautionary.
Nigeria has battled insurgency since 2009, with the conflict claiming over 40,000 lives and displacing about two million people, according to United Nations estimates. The latest intelligence warning underscores ongoing concerns about the evolving tactics and reach of extremist groups within and beyond the country’s borders.
