Tinubu returns to Nigeria amid criticism over killings in Plateau, Benue

President Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria following a working visit to France and the United Kingdom.

The president arrived at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, late Monday and was received by top government officials.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns to Abuja after a visit to Paris and London,” presidential aide Dada Olusegun announced in a post on his X handle.

Among those who welcomed him were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, among others.

President Tinubu had departed Nigeria on April 2 for Paris, with the trip described as a “short working visit” by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.

According to Onanuga, the visit was meant to allow the president to assess the progress of his administration.

However, the trip attracted criticism from several Nigerians, particularly in light of recent security crises in the country, including renewed killings in Plateau and Benue states.

Opposition leaders, including Labour Party’s Peter Obi and the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar, voiced strong disapproval over the president’s prolonged stay abroad amidst growing insecurity at home.

In response, the presidency rejected speculation that Tinubu had traveled for medical reasons.

“Sometimes on social media, somebody will be tweeting, you don’t even know who the person is; it can be somebody who has mental health issues somewhere,” said presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“You just see that information is coming out. The president did not go to see a doctor; he’s on a working visit and we have been publishing his activities.”