Shettima departs Nigeria to represent Tinubu at G20 Summit

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Friday, departed Abuja to represent President Ahmed Bola Tinubu at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Recall that President Tinubu had postponed his earlier scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, to await further security briefings on the recent security incidents in Kebbi and Kwara states.

The South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, who also serves as the current President of the G20 group, had invited his Nigerian counterpart to participate in this year’s edition.

The summit, scheduled to take place from Saturday, November 22nd, to Sunday, November 23rd, at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, brings together leaders from the world’s top 20 economies, including the European Union, the African Union, and financial institutions, among others.

The Vice President will return to Nigeria at the end of the engagements.

Tinubu had earlier postponed his participation in both the 20th G20 Summit and the 7th AU–EU Summit in Luanda, Angola.

The decision was announced in a statement issued on November 19, 2025, by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

The statement, titled “President Tinubu Postpones Trip to G20 and AU–EU Summits for Further Security Briefings, Directs Military, Police to Deploy More Men to Kwara”, cited recent attacks and abductions as reasons for the President’s absence.

Tinubu was awaiting detailed security briefings on two major incidents: the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Kebbi State and the attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.

In response to a request from the Governor of Kwara State, Tinubu ordered the deployment of additional security personnel to Eruku and the wider Ekiti Local Government Area. He also directed the police to intensify efforts to apprehend the bandits responsible for the attack.

“Disturbed by the security breaches in Kebbi State and Monday’s attack by bandits on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, President Tinubu decided to suspend his departure,” the statement read.

Nigeria has suffered multiple security concerns in the past week. On Friday morning, gunmen reportedly abducted more than 53 students and members of staff from the St. Mary’s School in Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger state.

The incident reportedly occurred between 2 am and 3 am on Friday.

In a statement, the Niger state government confirmed the incident, noting that “it has received with deep sadness the disturbing news of the kidnapping of pupils from St. Mary’s School in Agwara Local Government Area.”

It says the exact official number of abducted pupils is yet to be confirmed as security agencies continue to assess the situation.