KOGI STATE, NIGERIA — Security concerns have deepened in central Nigeria as intelligence reports reveal that the terrorist group Ansaru, a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, now operates at least eight terrorist cells across Kogi State. Three of the groups are reportedly stationed between Obajana and Kabba, a development that has forced high-profile individuals to pay for unofficial security escort to pass through the corridor.
“Ansaru, a terrorist group, has eight terrorist cells in Kogi State, with three located between Obajana and Kabba,” one security source told SaharaReporters. “Dignitaries now pay through security agencies to get permission to travel along those routes.”
Even more alarming, the same sources claim that the largest terrorist training camp in Nigeria is now situated in Niger State, just 93 kilometres from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
“The biggest terrorist camp in Nigeria is now in Niger State, less than 93 kilometres from Abuja,” a source revealed, raising grave national security concerns over its proximity to the seat of government.
Ansaru, known for its ties to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has long been designated as a terrorist organisation by both Nigerian and international authorities. The group has a bloody history of targeting civilians, critical infrastructure, and security personnel.
Efforts to reach police spokespersons in Kogi and Niger states — William Ovye Aya and Wasiu Abodun — were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
USCIRF Raises Alarm Over Religious Violence
This development comes as the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) accuses the Nigerian government of failing to adequately respond to religiously motivated violence across the country.
In its March 2025 report, USCIRF highlighted the role of extremist groups like Ansaru, Boko Haram (also known as Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad), and ISWAP in targeted killings and kidnappings. The report mentioned that in May 2024, Ansaru gunmen reportedly abducted 160 mainly Christian children and killed eight people in Niger State.
The Commission also cited a January 2024 attack in Yobe State, where suspected insurgents killed 14 individuals, including a pastor from the Church of Christ in Nigeria.
“Violent Islamist groups and some Fulani militants sought to impose a singular interpretation of Islam on individuals and communities in their areas of operation, regardless of these individuals’ or communities’ own religion or belief,” the report noted.
Security analysts continue to call for urgent and decisive government intervention to dismantle terrorist cells and protect vulnerable communities.
