Presidential adviser alleges CAN withholding details on St. Mary’s school abduction

Presidential adviser alleges CAN withholding details on St. Mary’s school abduction

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

Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Monday, Onanuga alleged that Yohanna was “playing games” with the incident, hampering authorities’ efforts to ascertain the true number of abducted pupils.

He disputed claims by the CAN chairman that 50 students had been rescued, asserting that no such rescues occurred. “When the bandits came in the night, the students were running helter-skelter, and some merely ran back to their homes,” Onanuga said.

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The presidential adviser further revealed that the Niger State government is still uncertain about the exact number of missing children due to a lack of collaboration from school and religious officials.

“As at the moment, the authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing,” Onanuga stated, noting that even security agencies are unable to confirm the figures. He added that the Niger State Governor had requested a list of the missing students but had yet to receive one.

Onanuga also alleged that Rev. Yohanna instructed the school principal not to cooperate with security personnel, which delayed ongoing rescue operations. “The CAN chairman of Niger actually told the principal of that school not to talk to security people,” he claimed.

Authorities are urging full cooperation from all stakeholders to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and to streamline security and rescue efforts in Niger State.

Presidential adviser alleges CAN withholding details on St. Mary’s school abduction