President Bola Tinubu is currently holding a closed-door meeting with service chiefs at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, a State House source told The Telegraph on Sunday.
In attendance are the Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyode; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Kelvin Aneke; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General E.A.P. Undiendeye; and Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu.
Also present are the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Tosin Ajayi.
Although details of the discussions remain sketchy, the meeting is believed to be linked to the recent surge in abductions across several northern states.
Maga school abduction
On November 17, gunmen attacked the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State.
The attackers, who struck in the early hours of Monday, killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before abducting several students. Residents said the bandits operated without resistance, leaving the community in shock and mourning.
Makuku was reportedly shot while attempting to protect the students.
Niger school ttack
While the country was still reeling from the Kebbi school abduction, gunmen carried out another mass kidnapping in Niger State.
On Friday, heavily armed attackers stormed St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri. Arriving on more than 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van, they shot the gatekeeper—who sustained serious injuries and abducted 315 students.
According to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), 50 of the abducted students escaped between Friday and Saturday.
Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, CAN Chairman in Niger State and Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, confirmed through his spokesman, Daniel Atori, that the escaped students had reunited with their families.
He noted that St. Mary’s has 430 pupils in its primary section—377 boarders and 53 day students.
Police intensify search efforts
The Niger State Police Command said joint tactical teams comprising police and military personnel have been deployed to track the kidnappers.
The command received information around 2 a.m. that armed men had invaded the school hostel and abducted “a yet-to-be-ascertained number of students.” Security agencies are “combing the forests” in search of the victims, it said.
Security forces nationwide have been placed on high alert as Nigeria faces renewed scrutiny over its deteriorating security environment.
Tinubu cancels G20 rip
President Tinubu cancelled his scheduled trip to the G20 Summit in South Africa following the successive mass abductions. Vice President Kashim Shettima represented him instead, according to the presidency.
The school kidnappings, along with a deadly attack on a church earlier in the week, come just weeks after former US President Donald Trump made controversial comments alleging targeted killings of Nigerian Christians—claims Nigeria has dismissed, insisting Muslims remain the majority of victims of armed groups.
Church attack and ransom demand
In a separate incident on Tuesday, gunmen attacked a church in western Nigeria, killing two worshippers during a service that was being streamed online. Dozens more were abducted.
Meanwhile, armed men who kidnapped 38 worshippers from a church in Kwara State on Tuesday are reportedly demanding ₦100 million per victim, according to a church official.
