Panic over possible terrorist and bandit attacks is sweeping through schools, churches and transport networks, with institutions across the country scrambling to fortify themselves.
Some schools have created escape routes. Others are raising fences, installing CCTV cameras and hiring more guards. Transport unions are cutting night journeys, while churches are stepping up surveillance and profiling new members.
The scramble follows a reported warning by the Office of the National Security Adviser that terrorist and bandit groups, pushed out of their northern enclaves, could resort to isolated attacks designed to create fear.
The alleged advisory, dated August 27, 2026, was reportedly circulated to security agencies as part of preventive measures.
SCHOOLS ON RED ALERT
For some school proprietors, the days of simply locking the gate and hiring a guard appear to be over.
Schools are now preparing for the possibility of an attack.
In Ikorodu, Lagos State, one school has created an escape route where none existed before.
The principal, Bolaji Adekoya, said pupils had also been taught how to use the route—and help one another in an emergency.
“We have erected a gate and created an escape path that was not there before,” Adekoya said.
“We should be prepared for anything because of what is happening across the country.”
The school has also strengthened its perimeter fencing and gate.
In Osun State, the former chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Alhaja Kojusola Adepoju, said virtually all private schools had adopted at least one additional security measure.
CCTV cameras are going up.
Fences are getting higher.
More security personnel are being hired.
Adepoju said the Oyo abduction had heightened fears among school proprietors.
“This insecurity matter is deeply concerning and became worrisome after the Oyo abduction,” she said.
‘DON’T WAIT FOR ATTACK’
A boarding school proprietor in Ibadan, Oyo State, said he had turned his school into a more difficult target.
He erected a gate and guard tower.
He raised the perimeter fence.
And once morning assembly ends, the school gate stays shut.
Visitors must call a dedicated number before it is opened.
Local security operatives have also been deployed around the school to watch for suspicious activity.
“It is better to go through the preventive action stress than experience any attacks,” the proprietor said.
PARENTS HIRE MORE GUARDS
The National President of the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Hussein Danjuma, said parents were also stepping in.
Many state-owned schools, he said, simply do not have enough security personnel.
PTAs are therefore hiring additional guards to protect pupils, teachers and school property.
“Most of the schools we have in Nigeria lack security personnel,” Danjuma said.
“Most of the schools under the state only have a few security personnel.”
The Nigeria Union of Teachers said it was also working with the government and security agencies to strengthen protection for teachers and pupils, particularly in rural communities.
Its First Vice-President, Bashir Oyewo, said the government was reviewing the Safe School Project amid the latest security concerns.
“All hands are on deck and we are collaborating to ensure our schools are safe for our teachers and pupils,” he said.
NO MORE NIGHT JOURNEYS
The fear is also spreading to the highways.
Some transport unions are telling drivers: stay off the road at night.
The leader of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria, Abiodun Akintade, said drivers had been instructed not to leave before 6am and to return before 7pm.
“Our drivers don’t go out before 6 am, and they will not be on the road by 7 pm,” he said.
The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria has also ordered increased vigilance at motor parks and along highways.
Its National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abdulrahman Onikijipa, said drivers must report suspicious people, vehicles and movements immediately.
NYSC GRADUATES WORRIED
For thousands of young Nigerians preparing for national service, the security scare is hitting even closer to home.
The NYSC is reportedly considering changes to its posting policy, including posting corps members to their states of origin.
A senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the scheme was also strengthening cooperation with the police and military for escorts, patrols and intelligence support along routes used by corps members.
“We are currently reviewing the posting policy of corps members,” the official said.
“One of the options being considered is posting corps members to their states of origin.”
But some graduates say they are no longer willing to take the risk.
Femi Emmanuel, a fresh Lagos State University graduate awaiting mobilisation, said recent events had shaken his confidence.
“Before my final exams, I had been looking forward to serving my country. But the recent events in the last two weeks have changed everything,” he said.
A Babcock University graduate, Rukayat Abdulgafar, said she might reject mobilisation outside Ogun State.
Another graduate, Ibrahim Bello of the University of Ilorin, said he would seek redeployment if posted to a state he considered unsafe.
CHURCHES SHUT THE DOOR
Churches are not taking chances either.
The National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop David Bakare, said churches had security protocols in place and reviewed them periodically.
He declined to disclose the details.
But another church organisation revealed one measure being used to tighten the net: profiling new members.
The Secretary General of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Prophet Anthony Samaye, said new members are asked to identify themselves during services and conventions.
It is part of the church's security protocol.
THE NEW REALITY
From classrooms to motor parks and churches, the security landscape is changing.
Escape routes are being created.
Fences are rising.
Cameras are watching.
Night journeys are being restricted.
New faces are being scrutinised.
And behind all the preparations is one grim hope: that the precautions will never have to be tested.
Fear! Schools Dig Escape Routes, Churches Profile New Members
