The Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has alleged that authorities of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State and the management of St Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri, are withholding vital information needed to determine the true number of students kidnapped by bandits on Friday.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Monday, Onanuga said government efforts were being frustrated by a lack of cooperation from the school and the state’s CAN leadership.
“As of now, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing,”he said. “The Niger State government, or the governor, asked for the list of students that are missing. Up to now, I don’t know what kind of game the CAN chairman in Niger is playing. They are not collaborating with the government. I don’t know why they are doing that.”
Onanuga insisted that security agencies were unable to proceed effectively because they had not been given the names of missing pupils.
“You said students are missing—let us have their names. Let us know what we are looking for. Even the security men don’t know why they are not releasing the names. They want to know how many people are really missing,”he said.
According to him, the confusion over initial figures—ranging from 215 to 315—stemmed from the school’s inability to provide accurate records.
“Some of the children were not kidnapped. When the bandits came in the night, the students were running, and some of them just ran back to their homes. They were not taken by the bandits. They ran to their parents,”he explained.
Onanuga also revealed that the school principal had “disappeared”, complicating the verification process.
“The DSS went to the school. The principal has disappeared. So only the CAN chairman who speaks for the state has been speaking. For the security, they found it very strange that they are not cooperating. What is the agenda?”he asked.
Onanuga further disclosed that Niger State authorities suspect sabotage after soldiers earlier deployed to protect the school allegedly left their post shortly before the attack.
“They went there, but mysteriously, as the governor also found out, at 4 a.m. on Monday, they left the school. And just some minutes after, the bandits stormed the school and took away the children,”** he said.
He added that military personnel involved had already been detained.
“They’ve arrested all of them. They need to explain — why did they leave the school at that moment in time?”
Onanuga confirmed that 38 worshippers abducted during a church service in Iruku, Kwara State, were released after security agents made direct contact with the kidnappers.
“They got in contact with the bandits to release those people unharmed, and finally on Sunday, they were able to get them out unharmed,”he said.
He rejected suggestions that ransom may have been paid.
“They know the risk. If they keep those people there and refuse to release them, the next thing will be for the government to embark on a kinetic action and attack their base,” he said.
However, he stressed that the government often avoided direct armed assaults due to risk to civilians.
“What sometimes restrains them from going after them is the risk of collateral damage. They go about abducting our people and they use them as a shield so that they will not be attacked.”
Amid criticism that the government is not acting decisively, Onanuga said security agencies have profiles of bandit groups operating across the region.
“The security people, they know all the bandits that are operating in that axis. They know where they operate,”he said.
However, he argued that targeted strikes were complicated by the presence of civilians.
“Our people are living around where they operate. So you can’t just go there. They need to be very careful that in the course of chasing these bandits, they don’t bomb the wrong people,” he said.
Onanuga confirmed President Tinubu’s approval to redeploy officers from VIP protection to vulnerable communities.
“I read today about 100,000 policemen guarding VIPs. If you share them out to vulnerable areas, that will make a lot of difference,” he said.
He described vast stretches of the North-West as “ungoverned spaces” where police presence is almost non-existent.
“From Kano to Dutse, along that stretch, you only saw one police vehicle. It means most of the areas are ungoverned — no security presence, no police, nothing.”
The presidential adviser also emphasised that security should not be seen as the government’s responsibility alone.
“Security is the job of all Nigerians, all of us,”he said. “Everybody should be conscious of security in this country. Even at our individual level, I am very conscious of security where I live. People should take it seriously.”
He criticised residents who move in groups in remote areas without notifying security agencies.
“Why would 12 teenagers go to the farm and just leave their security in the hands of nature? These people will not come and capture one person. They want numbers,”he said.
Responding to critical comments from Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Onanuga said the government acknowledges the security challenges.
“This government has never denied that Nigerians are being killed. Anybody who says the government is not concerned is not saying the truth,”** he said.
He distanced the administration from any claims that the situation had been resolved.
“What has happened so far, I think even for the NSA, will force a reality check. Are things really OK everywhere? No. It’s clear that we still have problems,” he said.
Onanuga explained that terrorists and bandits deliberately select soft targets to embarrass the state.
“They want to do maximum damage, maximum embarrassment to the military and the police. Anywhere that is open, they want to go there and cause problems,”he said.
Onanuga also disclosed that the President is preparing to speak directly to the nation following recent consultations.
“I think he will do so very soon,” he said.
Boluwatife Enome
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