By Ogochukwu Isioma
President Bola Tinubu has postponed his planned foreign trip to the G20 Summit in Johannesburg and the AU–EU Summit in Luanda following renewed security concerns in Kebbi and Kwara states.
The President was expected to depart Abuja today for South Africa to join other world leaders at the 20th G20 Summit before proceeding to Angola for the 7th AU–EU Summit.
However, the Presidency confirmed that he will remain in the country to receive comprehensive security briefings on two recent attacks that have unsettled the nation.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the President’s decision was driven by the urgency of ongoing rescue efforts and the need for a coordinated security response.
According to the statement, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.”
The attack in Kebbi involved the abduction of 24 schoolgirls, who were taken by armed bandits in yet another distressing incident targeting vulnerable communities. In Kwara State, armed assailants stormed the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, on Tuesday, killing the church’s pastor, two others and taking many to an unknown location.
Following a request for federal support from the Governor of Kwara State, President Tinubu has directed the security forces to strengthen their presence in the affected communities.
“The President has ordered the deployment of more security men to Eruku and the entire Ekiti Local Government Area of the state, and directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers,” the statement noted.
Onanuga added that President Tinubu is also awaiting detailed reports from Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who visited Kebbi State on his behalf to commiserate with families and authorities, as well as operational updates from the Police and the Department of State Services on the Kwara attack.
On the ongoing rescue mission, the statement reaffirmed President Tinubu’s instructions to the security agencies to intensify efforts to bring the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls back safely.
“President Tinubu reiterates his directive to the security agencies to do everything possible to rescue the 24 schoolgirls, abducted by the bandits and bring the girls back home, safe,” the statement read.
The statement, however, did not indicate when the President will now embark on the postponed international engagements.
