President Bola Tinubu has postponed his planned visits to South Africa and Angola to receive more updates on the abduction of Kebbi schoolgirls and the killing of worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
Tinubu was expected to leave Abuja on Wednesday for the G20 Summit in Johannesburg before heading to Luanda for the AU-EU meeting. But he put the trip on hold after fresh security concerns in the two states.
Gunmen attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State on Saturday. They killed a vice principal and kidnapped 24 schoolgirls. The incident has drawn national outrage as families and residents wait for news of the children.
In Kwara, bandits stormed a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku on Tuesday killing a worshipper and another body was later found in the bush. One person was also injured in the attack, which forced many residents to flee the area.
Responding to a request from the Kwara State Governor, Tinubu directed the military and police to send more personnel to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area. He also ordered security agencies to hunt down the attackers.
A statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the President paused his trip due to the recent violence. Onanuga said, “The President has decided to suspend his departure as he awaits further briefings on the Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on worshippers in Eruku.”
He added that Tinubu is expecting full reports from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who visited Kebbi on his behalf, as well as from the police and the Department of State Services on the Kwara incident. According to the statement, “He now awaits reports from the Vice President, the police and the DSS regarding the attacks.”
Tinubu also restated his instruction to rescue the abducted girls without delay. “The President reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls and bring them home safe,” the statement said.
The attacks in Kebbi and Kwara have increased concerns over rising insecurity across the country amid the United States hammering on Christian genocide in Nigeria.
