Nigerian security forces on high alert for large-scale attack on airport and prison, memo says

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s security forces are on high alert over a planned attack by Islamist militants on public infrastructure in Abuja and Niger states, an internal memo dated April 13 obtained from the Nigeria Customs Service by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed.

The planned targets include the international airport and a prison facility in the capital city of Abuja, as well as a military detention center in neighboring Niger state.

“Their intention is to release detained terrorists and inflict significant damage on critical aviation infrastructure,” the memo reads.

The plan mirrors a similar attack in Niger Republic in January, in which Islamist terrorists attacked an air force base in Niamey, the memo read in a warning to customs service personnel.

“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,” according to the memo.

In 2022, an attack on the aforementioned prison led to the escape of 879 inmates, including 64 members of the Islamic State West Africa Province, which claimed responsibility for the attack.

“The military and paramilitary forces are all on high alert and ready to forestall the attack,” a senior customs service personnel member who is not authorized to speak to journalists told AP.

The customs service and the Nigerian military have not responded to AP's request for comments.

Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country, is battling a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where there is a decade-long insurgency and several armed groups that kidnap for ransom.

Among the most prominent Islamic militant groups are Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, known as ISWAP. There is also the IS-linked Lakurawa group operating in communities in the northwestern part of the country that borders Niger Republic.

The attacks would be carried out by sleeper cells of ISWAP and Boko Haram, the memo said.

Last week, the U.S. authorized asked its non-emergency government employees and their families to leave the Abuja embassy owing to a spike in terrorist attacks, kidnapping, and violent crimes in the country, especially in the north. The embassy has been shut.

Nigeria’s information minister, Mohammed Idris, described the U.S. decision as a “routine precaution guided by internal protocols”, insisting that it does not reflect the overall security situation of the country.