President Bola Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trips to South Africa and Angola. The decision comes after gunmen abducted 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and attacked a church in Kwara State .
Tinubu was set to depart Abuja on Wednesday for the G20 summit in South Africa before proceeding to Angola for an AU-EU summit . He will now remain in Nigeria to receive security briefings on the two incidents .
The president has ordered security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the abducted schoolgirls . He also responded to a request from the Kwara State governor by directing the deployment of more security personnel to the Eruku area .
The back-to-back attacks in different regions of the country have intensified national and international focus on Nigeria's security challenges .
School Abduction in Kebbi
The first incident occurred in the early hours of Monday at the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State . Armed men scaled the school's fence and exchanged gunfire with police officers stationed at the location .
During the attack, the gunmen seized 25 female students from their dormitory . The school's vice principal, Hassan Yakubu Makuku, was shot and killed after he resisted the attackers . Another staff member sustained gunshot injuries .
A schoolgirl who was abducted managed to escape and arrived home safely late on Monday . This leaves 24 students still missing . Security forces, supported by local hunters, have intensified search efforts in nearby forests where criminal gangs are known to operate .
Vice President Kashim Shettima was designated to visit Kebbi on the president's behalf to meet with officials and parents .
Church Attack in Kwara
The second attack took place on Tuesday evening in Eruku, a town in Kwara State . Bandits stormed a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church during a service .
Witnesses reported that the assailants opened fire on the worshippers . Police confirmed discovering two people fatally shot, one inside the church and another in a nearby bush . Other witnesses said they counted at least three dead church members .
The gunmen rounded up a number of worshippers, including the church pastor, and took them away . The exact number of people kidnapped remains unconfirmed . A video from the scene, verified by Reuters, shows the church service being interrupted by gunfire and armed men moving through the building .
A Broader Security Crisis
These events are part of a wider pattern of violence in Nigeria. The northwest region has seen repeated school abductions by armed gangs commonly referred to as bandits, who often carry out kidnappings for ransom .
Since the mass abduction of Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram over a decade ago, at least 1,500 students have been seized in northern Nigeria . Analysts note that gangs often target schools because such attacks draw significant public and media attention .
Nigeria faces overlapping security crises, including an Islamist insurgency in the northeast, separatist agitations in the southeast, and deadly clashes between herders and farmers in the central region . Banditry and kidnapping have become a rampant problem, netting an estimated 2.23 trillion naira (approximately $1.55 billion) in ransoms last year alone .
International Reaction and Domestic Response
The attacks have drawn comments from international figures. United States President Donald Trump recently threatened possible military action over claims of a "Christian genocide" in Nigeria . The Nigerian government has firmly refuted these claims, stating that the complex violence does not predominantly target one religious group .
Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris Malagi explained that both Christian and Muslim communities have been attacked by extremists . He said the government is engaged in talks with the U.S. on a security partnership to address the challenges .
Domestically, the House of Representatives has scheduled a full-day debate on the nationwide insecurity for Thursday . The speaker urged security agencies to step up their actions and strategies .
President Tinubu's administration has stated that since taking office, security forces have killed over 13,500 fighters and bandits and captured 17,000 others . The government is also considering a national community policing program and has approved the creation of a national armed force to protect the country's forests from criminal gangs .
As of now, security forces continue their search for the 24 missing schoolgirls in Kebbi and those abducted from the church in Kwara . The situation underscores the persistent security threats facing communities across Nigeria.