Nigeria’s latest school kidnapping has forced President Bola Tinubu to halt his planned trip to the Group of 20 summit, a decision made as families in Kebbi state wait anxiously for the return of 24 abducted schoolgirls. The president’s delay comes amid rising criticism from civil society groups who say security agencies ignored early warnings.
Tinubu had been scheduled to depart for South Africa on Wednesday ahead of the weekend gathering of world powers. According to spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the president chose to stay in Nigeria after two violent incidents, including the school abduction and an attack on a church that claimed two lives.
“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi state and Tuesday’s attack by bandits against worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure” to the G20 summit, Onanuga said.
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Officials have not indicated whether Tinubu will still attend the Johannesburg summit, which begins Saturday.
The kidnapping occurred before dawn on Monday at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, where gunmen climbed the perimeter fence, exchanged fire with police and seized dozens of students. A staff member was killed in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility, though armed gangs known locally as bandits frequently target schools and remote communities for ransom.
Residents say the attack did not come without warning. Dan Juma Umar, a civil society leader in the area, said they alerted security officers three days earlier about unusual activity.
“We notified the security operatives of the planned attack. Had they acted on the information we provided, this tragedy could have been avoided,” he told The Associated Press.
Among the abducted students, 15-year-old Hawau Usman managed to flee while the gunmen moved deeper into the forest with the others.
“They kept moving, and when they left, I ran back to the school,” Usman said. She described knocking on the principal’s door with no response before eventually seeking refuge at a teacher’s home.
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Tinubu issued a statement late Tuesday directing the military and police to secure the children’s release. He condemned the assault, saying “heartless terrorists have disrupted the education of innocent schoolgirls.”
The abduction adds to a decade-long pattern of school attacks across northern Nigeria. More than 1,500 students have been taken since Boko Haram’s infamous kidnapping of the Chibok girls in 2014, and bandit groups now play an increasingly prominent role in the violence.
Analysts say corruption, poor intelligence coordination and limited military equipment continue to undermine the country’s response. Senator Iroegbu, a security expert, said the abductors usually dictate the pace of operations but expressed cautious optimism.
“Intelligence efforts should be prioritized to locate the abductors without endangering the girls. If contact is established, negotiation — likely involving ransom — may be necessary,” he said.
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, visited troops shortly after the attack, demanding aggressive action.
“We must find these children. Act decisively and professionally on all intelligence,” he said. “Success is not optional.”
Vigilante groups familiar with the dense forests surrounding Maga have joined the search, though locals say their numbers remain inadequate. Umar Muhammad Rafi, one of the residents supporting the search effort, believes these volunteers “know the terrain better than the military” but require more reinforcements.
Families of the missing girls are growing increasingly distressed. Abdulkarim Abdullahi Maga, whose daughters aged 12 and 13 were taken, said the attackers also killed his father-in-law, a security guard at the school.
“Since it happened, she has not been eating and is rapidly losing weight,” he said of his grieving wife.
Parents like Usman Muhammad say their confidence in authorities depends on one outcome.
“The only thing that will revive our trust is the safe rescue of our children,” he told the AP. “Until the authorities in charge secure the release of the girls still in captivity, we cannot feel at ease.”
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