Tinubu’s Security Record and the Timeline of School Abductions

Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu’s Security Record and the Timeline of School Abductions

Since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, according to a report on PR Nigeria, Nigeria has witnessed a disturbing wave of school abductions, with over 600–750 students and teachers kidnapped in coordinated attacks across multiple states. These incidents form the backdrop to Peter Obi’s renewed call for Tinubu’s resignation, citing a collapse of governance and empathy.

According to media reports, the first major abduction under Tinubu occurred in September 2023 at Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State, where gunmen abducted about 22–24 students from off-campus hostels. This marked the beginning of a troubling pattern.

In March 2024, Nigeria saw its largest single incident in recent years: the Kuriga mass abduction in Kaduna State, where 287 pupils and a teacher were taken during morning assembly.

Barely a day later, 17 pupils were abducted from Gidan Bakuso Tsangaya School in Sokoto State, reinforcing fears of coordinated attacks across the North-West.

By late 2025, the crisis spread geographically. On November 17, 2025, gunmen stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, abducting 25 students and killing the vice principal.

Just four days later, on November 21, 2025, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, was attacked, with 303 students and 12 teachers abducted. Though many victims were later rescued, the scale of the attack shocked the nation.

The violence continued into 2026. On April 26, 2026, 23 pupils were abducted from Daarul-Kitab Islamic Orphanage and School in Kogi State. Less than a month later, on May 15, 2026, three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State were attacked, with 39 students and seven teachers abducted.

Two days later, on May 17, 2026, suspected Boko Haram fighters invaded a school in Mussa, Borno State, abducting 42 students.

Altogether, media reports suggest between 603 and 758 students and teachers have been abducted since Tinubu took office, underscoring the scale of Nigeria’s school security crisis.

This timeline seemingly, illustrates why Peter Obi’s criticism resonates. He argues that Tinubu’s silence, particularly his failure to call Governor Seyi Makinde after the Oyo abduction, reflects not only incompetence but also a lack of compassion.

Obi recalls that Tinubu himself once demanded Jonathan’s resignation over the Chibok girls’ abduction, yet now faces a far worse record without showing the same urgency.

The presidency counters that Tinubu has intensified military operations, rescuing thousands of victims and neutralising terrorists. Yet the recurring abductions reveal a deeper failure: Nigeria’s Safe Schools Initiative, despite billions allocated, remains poorly implemented, leaving rural schools dangerously exposed.

The timeline is not just a list of tragedies, it is likened to a measure of governance. Each abduction represents shattered families, traumatised children, and communities abandoned.

Obi’s call for resignation may be politically charged, but the realities are obvious: under Tinubu, school abductions have reportedly escalated to unprecedented levels, and the seemingly silence from the presidency has only deepened the sense of national despair.