Nigerian security forces have been placed on maximum alert following credible intelligence of a planned Islamist militant attack on critical public infrastructure in Abuja and Niger State, according to an internal government memo obtained by The Associated Press.
The document, dated April 13 and originating from the Nigeria Customs Service, identified the primary targets as the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, a prison facility in the capital, and a military detention centre in neighbouring Niger State.
According to the memo, the attacks were intended to free detained terrorist suspects and inflict major damage on aviation infrastructure. The planned operation was attributed to sleeper cells operating under the Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram.
The memo drew a direct parallel with a January attack in Niger Republic, in which Islamist militants struck an air force base in Niamey, suggesting that Nigerian targets may be next in a regional pattern of escalating assaults on security installations and air facilities.
The development echoes a 2022 attack on a Kuje prison that resulted in the escape of 879 inmates, including 64 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, which claimed responsibility for the breach.
A senior customs official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that all military and paramilitary forces had been mobilised and were positioned to prevent any attack from succeeding.
The alert comes weeks after the United States authorised non-emergency embassy staff and their families to leave Abuja, citing a spike in terrorist activity, kidnapping, and violent crime, particularly across northern Nigeria. The embassy has since been closed. Nigeria’s Information Minister Mohammed Idris dismissed the U.S. decision as a routine internal protocol that does not reflect the country’s broader security picture.
In response to the escalating threat environment, Nigeria has moved aggressively to fast-track terrorism prosecutions. A mass trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja brought over 500 terrorism-related cases forward in a single coordinated push. Of those, approximately 386 suspects were convicted, many through guilty pleas, with sentences reaching up to 20 years imprisonment.
