ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s national security apparatus has been placed on heightened alert following a leaked internal intelligence memo that uncovered coordinated planned attacks by Islamist militant networks targeting critical public infrastructure across Abuja and neighboring Niger State. The confidential document, dated April 13 and obtained by the Associated Press from the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday, outlines specific high-value targets selected by the attackers: Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, a federal prison in the capital, and a military detention facility located in Niger State.
According to the memo’s text, the militants’ dual objectives are to free dozens of detained terror group members and cause catastrophic damage to Nigeria’s key aviation infrastructure. The warning draws a clear parallel to a deadly January assault on an air force base in Niamey, the capital of neighboring Niger Republic, noting that terror operatives are actively seeking to replicate that successful attack model within Nigeria’s borders. “An analysis of the report reveals a concerning correlation between the potential targeting of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja and recent large-scale attacks on aviation facilities in Niger Republic, notably in Niamey and Tahoua. This suggests a possible intent by terrorists to replicate the attack patterns within Nigeria,” the memo states.
The Abuja prison referenced in the warning was the site of a major 2022 militant breakout, when an attack organized by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) allowed 879 inmates to escape, including 64 confirmed ISWAP members. The latest planned operation is set to be executed by deep-cover sleeper cells belonging to two of Nigeria’s most active militant groups: Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP, the memo confirms.
A senior Nigeria Customs Service official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, confirmed that all branches of the military and national paramilitary forces have been placed on high alert and are actively preparing to disrupt the planned attacks. As of press time, neither the Nigeria Customs Service nor the Nigerian military has issued an official response to AP’s requests for comment on the intelligence alert.
The revealed plot comes amid a long-running and evolving security crisis across Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. For more than a decade, insurgent violence has plagued the country’s northern regions, where multiple armed extremist groups operate, carrying out attacks, kidnappings for ransom, and community raids. Alongside Boko Haram and ISWAP, the IS-affiliated Lakurawa group has expanded its operations in northwestern Nigeria’s border regions adjacent to Niger Republic in recent years.
The new terror warning also follows a recent security adjustment by the United States, which last week authorized the evacuation of non-emergency government staff and their family members from its Abuja embassy, citing a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, kidnapping incidents, and violent crime across northern Nigeria. The U.S. mission has since suspended regular public operations. Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris downplayed the U.S. move, framing it as a standard precautionary step following internal security protocols, and stressed that the decision does not reflect the full security landscape across the country.