Atiku Asks Tinubu to Declare State of Emergency, “Not Too Late”

• Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the abduction of students and staff at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara local government area of Niger state, describing the incident as “truly heartbreaking"
• Gunmen invaded the Catholic-owned school in the early hours of Friday, November 21, arriving in large numbers on more than 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van before whisking away an unspecified number of students
• In order to address these security issues, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his foreign trips, including this weekend's 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa

FCT, Abuja - Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar on Friday, November 21, expressed deep sadness over the terrorists' raid on a Catholic institution in Papiri community of Agwara local government area (LGA) of Niger.

Legit.ng had reported how terrorists launched a midnight assault on St. Mary’s School in the northcentral state, abducting an unconfirmed number of students and staff.

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Tinubu urged to announce security emergency

Details remain unclear, as well as the exact number of victims, but multiple sources said that many students were taken during the late-night operation.

Addressing the matter via a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday afternoon, November 21, Atiku told the Bola Tinubu administration that "it is not too late for the government to finally declare a state of emergency on insecurity."

The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate said in a statement he signed and shared on social media:

"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."

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Legit.ng reports that the school kidnappings and an attack on a church earlier this week come weeks after United States (US) President Donald Trump threatened military action over what he described as targeted killings of Nigeria’s Christians, a narrative rejected by the Nigerian government, which cautioned that the challenge should not be assessed through a religious lens.

Trump’s assertions echo claims that have gained traction among right-wing and Christian evangelical circles in recent months, Al Jazeera noted.

Friday's Niger attack comes just days after armed gangs known locally as bandits stormed a secondary school in Kebbi state, abducting 25 schoolgirls early on Monday morning, November 17.

One later escaped, and 24 are still missing, according to the BBC.

Read more on Nigeria's security challenges:

• Insecurity: Nigerian police take new action in Kano border
• Top 10 causes of insecurity in Nigeria and solutions to them
• Senate urges President Tinubu to approve 100,000 military recruitment to confront insecurity

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Toyin Abraham’s emotional reaction to Kwara church attack and Kebbi abductions ignites backlash

Sani bemoans lingering terrorism menace

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna state, blamed corruption for Nigeria's years-long battle with terrorism and banditry.

Sani stated that terrorists are “afraid” of attacking targets in neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, but the same cannot be said of Nigeria.

According to the ex-federal lawmaker, Nigeria’s defence and security apparatuses, in the past, did not dedicate themselves to the service.

Source: Legit.ng