Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga has accused the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Niger State, Bulus Yohanna, of playing games with the abduction of students from St. Mary’s Private Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.
Onanuga, while speaking during an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time, alleged that Yohanna was withholding information on the incident.
He lamented that the CAN chairman was obstructing efforts by the authorities to determine the actual number of abducted students.
Onanuga dismissed earlier claims made by Yohanna that 51 abducted students had been rescued, insisting that those students were never captured.
“I learnt when the bandits came in the night, the students were running helter-skelter and some of them merely ran back to their homes,” he said.
According to him, the government remains uncertain about the number of missing students due to a lack of cooperation from the school and religious authorities.
“The authorities are in the dark as to how many people are really missing. The Niger State Governor asked for the list of students that are missing, up till 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. Even the security men don’t know why they are not releasing the names,” he stated.
The presidential aide further claimed that Rev. Yohanna instructed the school principal not to engage with security operatives, complicating ongoing rescue efforts.
“The CAN chairman of Niger actually told the principal of that school not to talk to security people,” Onanuga alleged.
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