Tinubu Halts G20 Trip as Nigeria Intensifies Search for 24 Abducted Schoolgirls

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has postponed his trip to South Africa for the Group of 20 (G20) summit, directing security agencies to ramp up efforts to rescue 24 schoolgirls abducted by armed men in Kebbi State.

Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga announced on Wednesday that Tinubu suspended his departure following the abduction of the girls and a separate attack on a church in western Nigeria, where gunmen killed two worshippers during a service.

Tinubu had been scheduled to leave for Johannesburg on Wednesday ahead of the two-day summit set to begin on Saturday. The presidency did not immediately confirm if he would still attend.

According to authorities, the schoolgirls were seized late Sunday after unidentified gunmen stormed a secondary school in Maga, Kebbi State. The attackers reportedly exchanged gunfire with police before scaling the school’s perimeter fence and escaping with the students. One girl managed to escape, but the school’s vice principal was killed in the attack. No group has claimed responsibility.

Security officials say the perpetrators are likely part of armed groups formed by former herders who have taken up weapons following years of deadly clashes with farming communities over scarce resources.

In the separate church incident on Tuesday, armed men opened fire during a service that was being livestreamed, killing two people. The violence has fueled political commentary abroad, with supporters of US President Donald Trump amplifying claims that Christians are being targeted in Nigeria. Trump recently threatened to invade the country “guns-a-blazing” over what some US lawmakers describe as a “Christian genocide.”

Nigeria’s government has rejected those claims, stressing that the country’s security crises have affected both Christians and Muslims, with the majority of victims being Muslim.

Security agencies say the search for the abducted girls is ongoing.