President Bola Tinubu has ordered Defence Minister Bello Matawalle to relocate to Kebbi State to oversee rescue efforts after 24 schoolgirls were abducted in Maga town
Schoolgirls Abduction: Tinubu Orders Defence Minister Matawalle to Relocate to Kebbi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 female students by gunmen in the early hours of Monday.
The students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, were taken from their hostels around 4am, sparking nationwide concern and renewed calls for intensified security action.
According to Presidency sources, the President instructed Matawalle to remain in Kebbi until significant progress is made in the rescue operation. The minister is expected in Birnin Kebbi on Friday to coordinate with security agencies already deployed to the troubled community.
Matawalle, who served as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023, is familiar with large-scale abduction incidents. In February 2021, he managed one of the country’s major kidnap crises when 279 schoolgirls were abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. The victims were released four days later.
His deployment to Kebbi is seen as a strategic move by the Tinubu administration to leverage his experience in handling banditry and mass kidnappings.
President Tinubu has postponed his scheduled trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits continuous security briefings on the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
The President is said to be receiving direct updates from service chiefs, intelligence units and the state government.
The abduction has triggered widespread condemnation, with parents and community leaders urging authorities to act swiftly to ensure the safe return of the children. Security agents, including military units, police operatives and local vigilantes, have reportedly intensified search operations across forest routes believed to be used by the kidnappers.
The Kebbi State Government has yet to release further updates but assured residents that efforts are ongoing to rescue the abducted students unharmed. Read More
