Onanuga Faults Niger CAN Chair, Says ‘Vital Details on School Abduction Withheld’

Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has accused the Niger State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Dr. Bulus Yohanna, of withholding critical information on the abduction of students from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.

Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme monitored by Patriotic Insights News, Onanuga said the conduct of the CAN chairman amounted to “playing games” and frustrating government efforts to ascertain the exact number of missing students.

The presidential aide dismissed earlier claims credited to Yohanna that 51 abducted students had been rescued, stating that security findings showed that the said students were never taken by the attackers.

According to him, the lack of cooperation from school authorities and religious leaders has created uncertainty around the true scale of the incident.

“When the bandits invaded the school at night, the students ran in different directions. Many fled straight to their homes,” Onanuga said.
He added that the authorities remain “completely in the dark” regarding the number of students still missing.

Even security agencies, he noted, are yet to receive accurate figures from those directly involved.

The attack, which has drawn national and international condemnation, has heightened pressure on security agencies to intensify search-and-rescue operations.