By: Ojay Matthew
President Bola Tinubu has postponed his planned trip to South Africa for the G20 Leaders’ Summit, as well as a subsequent visit to Angola, to receive detailed security briefings on the recent school abductions in Kebbi State and the deadly attack on worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President ordered an immediate reinforcement of security personnel in Eruku and across the entire Ekiti Local Government Area in Kwara. He also directed the police to pursue and apprehend the attackers responsible for the assault on the Christ Apostolic Church.
Onanuga explained that the decision followed a direct request from the Kwara State Governor for urgent federal intervention.
Presidency sources told our correspondent that Tinubu opted to delay his trip in order to receive first-hand updates from Vice President Kashim Shettima, who was dispatched to Kebbi to meet community leaders and assess the situation on the ground.
The President had been scheduled to depart Abuja on Wednesday for the 20th G20 Summit in South Africa and then proceed to Luanda for the 7th AU–EU Summit.
“Deeply concerned by the incidents in Kebbi and the attack on worshippers in Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his travel plans,” Onanuga said. “He is now awaiting comprehensive reports from Vice President Shettima, as well as the police and the Department of State Services.”
Tinubu reaffirmed his directive to security agencies to ensure the safe rescue of the 24 abducted schoolgirls, insisting that every effort must be made to bring them home unharmed.
On Tuesday night, the President instructed Vice President Shettima to travel to Kebbi State after the abduction of 25 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, and the killing of the school’s Vice Principal.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday in Zuru Emirate, saw armed bandits storm the school, killing Vice Principal Hassan Makuku, who reportedly tried to shield students from harm, and kidnapping at least 25 girls, according to police confirmation.
Tinubu also extended condolences to the military over the deaths of Brigadier General Musa Uba and other soldiers who were killed in ongoing operations against insurgents in Borno State, praising them for their sacrifice in defending the nation.
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