The killing of two worshippers in a Kwara church and the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi have triggered nationwide outrage, with political leaders and others calling for tougher action.
Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killings and requested “urgent deployment of additional security operatives” to Ekiti Local Government, especially the Eruku axis.
“The governor wholly condemns the unconscionable attack, sympathises with the people of Eruku and the CAC church,” his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said in a statement.
“We are confident that the additional troops will provide further deterrence and permanent calm,” he said.
The state government has also activated a proactive security measure in schools in parts of the state as part of its wider efforts to guarantee a safer environment for schoolchildren.
Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, said the measures affect schools in Ifelodun, Ekiti, Irepodun, Isin, and Oke Ero Local Government Areas.
The move underscores the determination of the government to curtail the activities of kidnappers who may want to use schoolchildren as human shields from renewed security crackdowns.
“The measures also cover the boarding schools in Irepodun, which could be targets of the criminals who are running for cover amidst widening security operations.
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“The measure may remain in place while awaiting further security clearance for normal activities to resume,” Olohungbebe said in a statement.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki described the Kwara attack as “shocking and deeply distressing,” lamenting that residents were injured and some abducted.
Saraki urged the Federal Government and security chiefs to secure the release of victims and institute a long-term security framework for Kwara, noting its “strategic position as a gateway between the North and South”.
“The state deserves a special security arrangement that will not jeopardise our national interest and internal peace,” he said.
Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) praised President Tinubu for postponing his trips to Johannesburg and Luanda to receive security briefings and order reinforcements in Kwara.
Karimi urged Governors AbdulRazaq and Usman Ododo of Kogi State to work jointly to secure border communities and again pushed for full local government autonomy.
According to him, the latest attack by bandits on a worship centre in Eruku underscored the importance of strengthening the local government areas, being the closest to the grassroots.
“Governors have been foot-dragging in allowing the councils to enjoy full autonomy for reasons best known to them.
“If allowed to function, councils should be able to protect people within their localities,” the senator said.
“Allowing local government full access to their funds will reduce banditry as council chairmen will utilise part of their funds in engagement and arming local vigilantes in fighting banditry, instead of these funds being filtered away through phoney contract awards that are never executed but paid for in some state of the federation.”
Urging Nigerians to rally behind the President’s resolve to lift the country to loftier heights, the senator noted that enemies of progress have been encouraging banditry in their bid to pit Nigerians against Mr. President.
Former presidential candidate Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim urged the Federal Government to “act fast” to prevent an imminent loss of control amid escalating attacks in Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara, Kaduna, Plateau and Bauchi states.
He described as alarming the killing of two officers in Rogun Village, Patigi, Kwara State, where terrorists reportedly overran a police outpost.
“If terrorists can attack a police outpost in Kwara and kill officers without consequences, what hope is left for villagers?
“If 25 girls can be taken in Kebbi without immediate rescue, what remains of the meaning of government?” he asked.
He called for a radical overhaul of the security architecture and condoled with victims in Kwara and Kebbi.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) also condemned the abduction, saying Nigeria is “running out of time” in the fight against banditry.
In a statement by its President, Joe Ajaero, the Labour Centre described the attack as a painful reminder that the nation has failed to prevent a recurrence of past tragedies.
“Our hearts are with the students, their parents, and the government and people of Kebbi State,” he said.
NLC lamented that Nigeria once vowed never to repeat the horrors of Chibok, yet similar abductions continue.
It urged Nigerians to rally behind Governor Idris and demanded that the Federal Government overhaul its security strategy.
“We must be worried about the shrinking physical and psychological space in our country… Today, frontline states are facing the fire.
“Tomorrow, we may not know what happens next,” Ajaero warned, insisting the government must act decisively.
The lawmaker representing Kebbi South, Senator Garba Maidoki, is optimistic about an early return for schoolgirls.
Speaking on a national television programme, he said: “We have a fair idea where the girls are, and we are sure they have not moved outside the Kebbi South Senatorial District.
“There is high hope that the girls will return home in one or two days.
“Yesterday (Tuesday), I came back from Maga, where I met the families of the victims.
“I assured them that we will work with the government and other security agents to ensure these children are brought back home.
“I assured them that this incident will not be like the Chibok girls; they’ll come back home.”
According to the Senator, the security within the area had improved as the security agents had successfully dislodged bandits who had hitherto occupied many of their villages.
The Sultan of Sokoto–led Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) condemned the Kebbi schoolgirl’s abduction, describing the incident as “heartless, tragic and utterly avoidable.”
In a statement, JNI lamented that the abduction occurred barely days after a security summit in Birnin-Kebbi, saying it follows the grim pattern of previous attacks in Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara and Kagara.
It said recurring abductions are devastating for parents and communities and reflect security lapses around schools despite persistent threats.
JNI, through its Secretary-General, Prof. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, expressed concern over gaps in security coordination in Kebbi, citing the recent kidnapping and release of the state’s Deputy Speaker as evidence of growing audacity by criminals.
It said security agencies often respond reactively, leaving parents without reassurance.
“Do we really understand the magnitude of these repeated events?” it queried.
The body warned that continued attacks pose a major setback for girl-child education in the North.
“No parent will now be comfortable allowing their daughters to attend unprotected schools. And the North is the loser,” the statement said.
JNI condoled with the families of the slain vice-principal and abducted schoolgirls and prayed for their safe return.
It urged governments at all levels to take decisive steps, insisting that “enough should be enough.”
The organisation called for intensified security in all girls’ schools and urged Muslim communities to engage in special prayers for the nation.
It also warned Northcentral governors to remain alert, stressing that proactive measures are essential to avert a widening security crisis.
The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) expressed concern over the abduction of 25 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State.
The Nation
