Our Correspondents
Nigeria’s escalating insecurity crisis took a new turn on Wednesday as the Federal Government blamed recent terror attacks — including the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi and the deadly assault on worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State — on inflammatory comments made by United States President Donald Trump.
As anger spreads across the country, senior government officials, opposition parties, religious bodies, civil society groups and public figures have sharply criticised Abuja’s handling of the worsening violence.
US Remarks ‘Emboldened Violent Groups’ — FG
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said the renewed assaults were linked to Trump’s recent statements alleging “Christian genocide” in Nigeria and threatening to deploy American troops if attacks on Christians continued.
Akume argued that such rhetoric had “inadvertently emboldened opportunistic violent groups” seeking global attention.
“Before these statements, insurgency structures had been significantly degraded and reduced to isolated banditry,” he said, calling for partnership rather than “public labelling” from the US.
Trump, in a series of posts on X between October 30 and November 1, designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” and claimed the US “Department of War” had been instructed to prepare for “possible action”.
Akume insisted Nigeria does not require foreign boots on the ground, saying the Armed Forces remain “highly capable, experienced and professional”, but need targeted support in intelligence, technology and equipment.
He dismissed the notion of a “Christian genocide”, stressing that attacks have targeted both churches and mosques.
Kebbi School Attack: 24 Girls Still in Captivity
The Zuru Emirate in Kebbi State was thrown into mourning on Monday when gunmen stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, killing the Vice Principal, Hassan Makuku, and abducting dozens of students.
Makuku reportedly died while shielding pupils from the attackers.
While the police confirmed at least 24 abductions, the state government said 26 girls were initially taken, with two — Salma and Hauwa’u Liman — escaping to safety.
Eruku Church Assault Triggers Fury in Kwara
In Kwara, gunmen invaded the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku during a live-streamed thanksgiving service on Tuesday evening, killing at least two people and abducting about 35 worshippers.
Video footage of terrified congregants scrambling for safety has fuelled widespread anger, with residents accusing the police of abandoning the community during the attack. Some claimed officers fired tear gas at locals pursuing the attackers.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq demanded a Forward Operating Base for the Army and a Mobile Police Squadron, saying the state must “never witness such horror again”.
Tinubu Cancels Foreign Trips as Crisis Deepens
President Bola Tinubu cancelled planned trips to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in South Africa and the AU–EU Summit in Angola, opting to remain in the country for security briefings.
He ordered the deployment of additional personnel to Kwara and reaffirmed his directive for the rescue of the Kebbi schoolgirls.
National Outcry: Opposition, Clergy, Activists Slam FG
Reactions have poured in from across Nigeria:
The Ekiti LGA Christian Association of Nigeria Coordinator, Pastor Kenneth Adigoke, expressed deep concern, warning that the attack could be interpreted as an assault on the Christian community.
“This attack is just like a direct assault on the Christian community and the body of Christ.
“Look at the situation that happened yesterday, they entered the church and killed three people on the spot and kidnapped about 35. If they said there is genocide against the church or the Christian community, it can be justified.
The African Democratic Congress warned that the government’s defensiveness was making the “Christian genocide” narrative a “self-fulfilling prophecy”.
Political Leaders
Former presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso faulted “alarming intelligence failures”, while former Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, in a statement on X on Wednesday, accused the government of lacking the political will to tackle banditry.
The Nigeria Labour Congress described the Kebbi abductions as “deeply worrying” and urged the FG to do more to secure vulnerable communities.
Celebrities, Civil Society Calls for Tinubu’s Resignation Grow
Public frustration spilled onto social media as activists and entertainers — including Omoyele Sowore, Falz, Inibehe Effiong, Debo Macaroni, Femi Adebayo and Simisola Kosoko— condemned the killings.
Falz and Effiong resurfaced Tinubu’s 2014 and 2023 statements, in which he had himself demanded a leader’s resignation over insecurity, urging him to do the same now.
Simi lamented a government that “waits Nigerians out” until they “get tired and move on”, while Macaroni warned that the violence “concerns all of us… North, South, East or West”.
“People losing their lives in the name of religion. Children being stolen from their families like their lives are worth nothing. Sorry’ is not enough. Never has been. Never will be. No value for life. Not from the powers that be. Not from the powerless,” Simi said.
Growing Fear Across the Country
The palpable frustration reached boiling point on Wednesday when enraged youths blocked the Ilorin–Kabba expressway, demanding accountability from security agencies.
With multiple communities grieving and dozens of citizens still missing, Nigerians continue to question how armed groups move so easily across state lines — and who is truly responsible for the nation’s spiralling insecurity.
As authorities race against time to rescue the abducted schoolgirls and church worshippers, the country braces for what comes next in a crisis showing no sign of receding.