President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 schoolgirls.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu directed Matawalle to remain in the state and oversee all security operations focused on rescuing the abducted students.
The schoolgirls, who attend Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, were taken by gunmen around 4:00 am on Monday. One student managed to escape shortly after the incident, leaving 24 others still in captivity.
As part of his response, President Tinubu suspended his planned trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited detailed updates on both the kidnapped schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church members in Eruku, Kwara State.
The statement added that Matawalle is expected to arrive in Birnin-Kebbi on Friday.
It also highlighted Matawalle’s prior experience with security crises during his time as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023. Notably, during his tenure, armed bandits abducted 279 female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, on 26 February 2021. The students, aged between 10 and 17, were released on 2 March 2021.
Meanwhile, Senator Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South has expressed confidence that the abducted schoolgirls will soon be reunited with their families.
“We have a fair idea where the girls are, and we are sure they have not moved outside the Kebbi South Senatorial District,” he said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday. “There is high hope that the girls will return home in one or two days.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima has also visited the affected community, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe return of the students.
What You Should Know
Bello Matawalle, now the Minister of State for Defence, previously governed Zamfara State, a region heavily affected by banditry and mass kidnappings.
His experience in managing security challenges is considered central to the renewed push to rescue the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls.
The Federal Government has intensified efforts, expressing confidence in the likelihood of a quick and safe recovery.
