President Bola Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trips to South Africa and Angola due to escalating security concerns in the country.
The decision was made as he awaits further briefings on the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Kwara State.
“President Tinubu is deeply disturbed by these security breaches and has decided to suspend his departure to focus on addressing the situation,” said Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy on Wednesday.
Onanuga said Tinubu had ordered the deployment of additional security personnel to Eruku and Ekiti Local Government Area in Kwara State, and directed the police to apprehend the perpetrators.
Persecondnews reported earlier that Tinubu had been scheduled to attend the 20th G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the 7th AU-EU Summit in Luanda, Angola.
However, with the current security situation, he will now await reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who visited Kebbi on his behalf, as well as updates from security agencies.
The President has reiterated his directive to rescue the abducted schoolgirls, emphasizing that everything possible should be done to bring them home safely, Onanuga stated.
Tinubu also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and the military personnel who lost their lives in recent attacks.
Persecondnews recalls that on Monday armed bandits struck again in Nigeria, this time targeting the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting at least 25 schoolgirls and killing the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku.
The attackers, numbering hundreds, had invaded the school at 1 a.m. armed with sophisticated weapons.
“It was a heartbreaking tragedy that has thrown the entire region into deep fear and mourning,” said Murjanatu Hassan Gishiri, a local resident.
“They came in mass numbers at night, began shooting sporadically before they got access to the school,” added Sulaiman Abdulllahi, another eyewitness.
The bandits, who arrived on motorcycles, shot and killed Vice Principal Makuku as he tried to protect the students while a security guard was also injured during the attack.
The abducted students were taken to an unknown location, with reports suggesting the bandits may have fled towards Zamfara State.
The Kebbi State Police Command has confirmed the attack, with CSP Nafiu Abubakar noting that a tactical team has been deployed to rescue the abducted students.
“Efforts are being intensified to ensure no student in captivity gets hurt by the bandits,” Abubakar said, adding that Commissioner of Police Bello Sani is committed to ending the menace.
The area has been cordoned off by security personnel, and air force jets were seen patrolling the skies on Monday morning.
The Deputy Governor, Sen. Umar Tafida, has been dispatched to assess the situation on behalf of Governor Nasir Idris, who is currently out of state.
Monday’s raid was the second mass school abduction in Kebbi in four years, following a June 2021 incident when bandits took more than 100 students and staff members from a government college.
Those students were released in batches over two years after parents raised ransoms. Some of the students were forcefully married and returned with babies.
At least 1,500 students have been kidnapped across the country since members of the Boko Haram armed group abducted 276 girls from their school in the town of Chibok on April 14, 2014.
In March 2024, more than 130 schoolchildren were rescued after spending more than two weeks in captivity in the Nigerian state of Kaduna.
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