Nigeria: Joint US strikes hit militants as 46 kidnapped in school raids

Nigeria is facing a renewed surge in violence as security operations intensify in the northeast and kidnappings spread in the southwest, highlighting the country’s widening security crisis.

In the northeast, Nigeria and the United States have carried out fresh joint airstrikes against Islamic State-linked militants, according to military officials. The strikes, conducted on Sunday, targeted convergence points of fighters in a coordinated operation involving the Nigerian Armed Forces and United States Africa Command.

Nigerian authorities say at least 20 jihadists were killed in the strikes, part of a continuing campaign following earlier operations that eliminated a senior Islamic State figure in the region. Officials described the attacks as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle ISWAP networks operating in the country’s northeast, where insurgent activity remains persistent despite years of military pressure.

“Multiple air strikes were conducted resulting in the elimination of more than 20 ISIS/ISWAP fighters,” Nigeria’s defence headquarters said, adding that intelligence confirmed the targets were militants and that no friendly forces were harmed.

But even as military pressure increases in the north, insecurity is escalating in other parts of the country.

In the southwest, the Christian Association of Nigeria reported that 46 people — mostly children — were kidnapped in coordinated attacks on three schools. The victims, aged between two and 16, were seized during raids in Oyo State, according to church officials and local authorities.

Police described the incidents as “coordinated attacks” carried out by armed gunmen who stormed multiple schools simultaneously, abducting pupils, students, and staff, including a vice principal. The attacks prompted temporary school closures before authorities later ordered a cautious reopening.

Nigeria continues to battle both jihadist insurgents in the northeast and criminal gangs known as bandits, who frequently target rural communities and schools for ransom. The twin crises underscore the country’s stretched security forces as violence spreads across multiple regions.