Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has made an urgent appeal to President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on insecurity following the mass abduction of students and staff at St. Mary's Catholic School in Niger state.
Heartbreaking School Attack
In what Atiku described as a 'truly heartbreaking' incident, gunmen invaded the Catholic-owned institution in Papiri, Agwara local government area during the early hours of Friday, November 21. The attackers arrived in large numbers on more than 60 motorcycles accompanied by a van before whisking away an unspecified number of students.
Details about the exact number of victims remain unclear, but multiple sources confirmed that many students were taken during the late-night operation that has sent shockwaves across the country.
Tinubu's Response and Atiku's Demand
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has responded to the escalating security crisis by postponing his foreign trips, including this weekend's 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Addressing the situation via a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon, November 21, Atiku directly challenged the Tinubu administration, stating: 'It is not too late for the government to finally declare a state of emergency on insecurity.'
In a signed statement shared on social media, the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate expressed his frustration: 'Not again. This is truly heartbreaking. How many more lives must be shattered before decisive action is taken? It is not too late for the government to finally declare a state of emergency on insecurity and confront this menace with the urgency it deserves.'
Broader Security Context
The Niger attack represents the latest in a series of educational institution abductions that have plagued northern Nigeria. Just days earlier, armed gangs stormed a secondary school in Kebbi state, abducting 25 schoolgirls on Monday morning, November 17. According to BBC reports, one girl later escaped while 24 remain missing.
The school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier this week come weeks after United States President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as targeted killings of Nigeria's Christians. The Nigerian government has rejected this narrative, cautioning that the security challenge should not be assessed through a religious lens.
Former Senator Shehu Sani from Kaduna state has previously blamed corruption for Nigeria's years-long battle with terrorism and banditry, noting that terrorists appear to avoid attacking targets in neighboring countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon while continuing operations within Nigeria.
The repeated attacks on educational institutions have raised serious concerns about the safety of students and the effectiveness of current security measures across the country.
