Gunmen killed two people in a late-night church attack in Eruku, Kwara state, days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi state; one student escaped. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq praised President Tinubu for deploying 900 extra troops, and Tinubu postponed a planned G20 trip amid the violence. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The incidents come amid longstanding regional insecurity involving criminal gangs, clashes between herders and farmers, and activity by Boko Haram affiliates.
Two Killed in Kwara Church Attack as 25 Schoolgirls Are Abducted in Kebbi; Tinubu Delays G20 Trip
Gunmen killed two people in a late-night church attack in Eruku, Kwara state, days after 25 schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in Kebbi state; one student escaped. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq praised President Tinubu for deploying 900 extra troops, and Tinubu postponed a planned G20 trip amid the violence. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The incidents come amid longstanding regional insecurity involving criminal gangs, clashes between herders and farmers, and activity by Boko Haram affiliates.
03:50 AM, 11/20/2025Security
Gunmen killed two people in a late-night attack on a church in Eruku town, Kwara state, officials said, an assault that came days after dozens of schoolgirls were abducted from a boarding school in the northwest. No group has claimed responsibility for either incident.
Church attack in Kwara
Police who responded to reports of gunfire found one person shot dead inside the church and another body nearby, a Kwara state police spokesperson said. Authorities have increased security patrols and state officials commended moves to bolster troop deployments to the area.
Mass abduction in Kebbi
In Kebbi state’s Maga town, gunmen scaled the fence of the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School and seized 25 students, local authorities reported. One girl escaped and has been confirmed safe; search parties and local volunteers are combing nearby forests for the others. A member of the school staff was killed during the attack.
Government response and political fallout
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq praised President Bola Tinubu for ordering the deployment of an additional 900 troops to the state. In response to the violence and the abductions, President Tinubu postponed his planned trip to South Africa for the upcoming G20 summit.
International commentary
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly claimed that Christians face an "existential threat" in Nigeria and urged the Pentagon to prepare for possible action. The Nigerian government has rejected that characterization, and President Tinubu has said that depicting the country as religiously intolerant does not reflect reality.
"Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so," President Tinubu said, reaffirming constitutional protections for all faiths.
Context
Violence in central Nigeria is often tied to clashes between herders and farmers over land and water, which in some areas has taken on a religious dimension. In the north, many attacks are linked to resurgent Boko Haram factions and criminal gangs who also carry out kidnappings for ransom.
Authorities have not named any suspects in these recent incidents. Investigations are ongoing and security forces say they are intensifying search and rescue efforts for the abducted students.