Amid backlash on Monday evening, the presidency deleted a post on X announcing that President Bola Tinubu sent Vice President Kashim Shettima to Kogi State to celebrate and welcome defecting politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress party.

Mr Shettima, who was Borno State governor in 2014 when the Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists, joined in the celebration of defecting politicians hours after 25 schoolgirls were abducted in Kebbi on Monday.

“On behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Vice President Kashim Shettima @officialSKSM has arrived Kogi State in the company of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu @OfficialBenKalu, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, @OfficialAPCNg, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe @nentawe1, and Deputy National Chairman (North) Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori and other party bigwigs,” the statement, posted on X by Stanley Nkwocha, spokesperson for Mr Shettima, reads.
Mr Shettima and other APC bigwigs, the statement said, “will be joining the Kogi State governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo @OfficialOAU, in welcoming numerous political decampees to the APC fold.”

Checks, however, showed Mr Shettima’s spokesperson had pulled down the post after Peoples Gazette publication.

Mr Shettima’s journey to Kogi to represent Mr Tinubu at a rally shortly after 25 schoolgirls were abducted on the same day has elicited reactions from Nigerians on social media.

An X user, @wai_ay53320, said: “Can you believe it? Twenty-five girls abducted, and minutes later, Tinubu sends Shettima to welcome political decampees in Kogi. Leadership with no compassion, no empathy, just cold re-election politics for 2027.”

@TNze231 said, “The lives of Nigerians don’t matter to these politicians,” while @eedokpa said, “Nothing concerns Tinubu with governance. His priority is state capture.”

According to the police, a gang of armed bandits with sophisticated weapons, shooting sporadically, stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, Danko district, Danko/Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State.

The police said: “The police tactical units deployed in the school engaged them in a gun duel. Unfortunately, the suspected bandits had already scaled through the fence of the school and abducted twenty-five students from their hostel to an unknown destination. Similarly, one Hassan Makuku ‘m’ was shot dead while Ali Shehu ‘m’ sustained injury in his right hand.”

Mr Tinubu, in a statement issued by the minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Monday, vowed to rescue the abducted schoolgirls.

The Kebbi schoolgirls kidnapping comes over a decade after over 270 girls were kidnapped from their school dormitory in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014.