Nigeria’s government has blamed a resurgence of terror attacks—including the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi and a deadly assault on worshippers in Kwara—on inflammatory remarks by Donald Trump, accusing the US President of giving violent groups dangerous “international cover.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said on Wednesday that Trump’s recent posts alleging a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, and his threats to deploy US troops, had “inadvertently emboldened opportunistic violent groups” keen to exploit global scrutiny.
“Recent pronouncements from the United States have inadvertently emboldened opportunistic violent groups seeking to exploit international narratives and make bold statements by attacking soft targets,” Akume said.
He insisted that insurgency cells had been weakened and reduced to “isolated banditry” before Trump escalated tensions with a series of posts on X between 30 October and 1 November, in which he designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern.” Trump also warned he had directed the so-called “Department of War” to prepare for “possible action,” while threatening to suspend all US assistance to Abuja.
Akume said certain groups were now “attempting to leverage those remarks to gain visibility,” adding that what Nigeria needed was not foreign troops but “targeted support” in intelligence, technology, and equipment. He dismissed claims of a Christian genocide, arguing that verified evidence shows insurgents attacking both churches and mosques.
“Nigeria is a secular state… Verified evidence shows that insurgents and criminal networks attack both churches and mosques, killing Muslims and Christians alike,” he said.
Anger grows as attacks spread across Kebbi and Kwara
Public fury intensified this week after heavily armed bandits stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi’s Danko-Wasagu district in the early hours of Monday. Police confirmed that the vice-principal, Hassan Makuku, was killed while attempting to shield students, and that at least 24 girls remain missing. Two escaped during the attack and have since been reunited with their families.
In Kwara, gunmen opened fire during a live-streamed service at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, on Tuesday evening, killing at least two worshippers and abducting more than 35 people. Video of the assault showed worshippers scrambling for cover as the attackers shot into the hall before fleeing into nearby bushes.
The attack has rattled communities along Kwara’s border with Kogi, where armed groups have intensified operations in recent months. On Wednesday, scores of youths blocked the Ilorin–Kabba expressway in protest, accusing security agencies of abandoning them. Bonfires, stones and logs left traffic at a standstill for hours.
Locals say the gunmen operated unhindered for nearly an hour, despite the presence of police and military units in the area. Several residents accused the police of complicity or gross negligence. Kwara’s governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who visited the community, alleged that officers “did nothing” during the attack and even tear-gassed locals pursuing the gunmen.
A youth leader, Shola Peters, claimed the police had long harassed residents while failing to respond during crises. “These are the same police officers the town supported. We built houses for them… When we needed them most, they failed us.”
Tinubu cancels foreign trips as pressure mounts
President Bola Tinubu has cancelled planned trips to the G20 Summit in South Africa and the AU–EU Summit in Angola as nationwide anger mounts. He remains in Abuja awaiting field assessments from Vice-President Kashim Shettima, whom he dispatched to Kebbi, and security briefings on the Kwara attack.
“The President is aware and we are on top of the situation,” Abdulrazaq said, adding that he had requested a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku.
Tinubu has ordered security agencies to “do everything possible” to rescue the abducted schoolgirls and intensify operations against bandit groups in both states. The president was said to be “disturbed” by the attacks, particularly as military intelligence had warned of a possible strike in Kebbi days earlier.
The resident pastor of the attacked church, Lawrence Bamidele, said the congregation had been holding a thanksgiving service for 18 residents recently freed from captivity when the gunmen struck. “It happened unexpectedly and so fast… They surrounded the church, shooting sporadically,” he said.
Christian leaders in the Ekiti Local Government Area warned that the Eruku attack risked being interpreted as an assault on the Christian community, even as the federal government pushes back against such framing. “If they say there is genocide against the Christian community, it can be justified,” said Pastor Kenneth Adigoke.
As security forces continue their search for the abducted worshippers and schoolgirls, questions over security failures — and the fallout from Trump’s comments — are likely to intensify.
