President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately move to Kebbi State to lead and oversee security operations aimed at rescuing the 25 schoolgirls abducted earlier this week
The directive was issued on Thursday as the government intensified efforts to recover the girls, who were kidnapped around 4 a.m. on Monday from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Matawalle, former governor of neighbouring Zamfara State, is set to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. He will remain there to supervise rescue operations and provide direct updates to President Tinubu.
In a statement released Thursday evening, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Matawalle’s deployment draws on his experience handling banditry and mass kidnappings during his governorship from 2019 to 2023. One of the most notorious attacks during his tenure occurred on February 26, 2021, when 279 female students were abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. All the students were released on March 2 after negotiations and intense security pressure.
President Tinubu had earlier postponed his trips to Johannesburg for the G20 Summit and to Luanda for the AU-EU Summit, remaining in the country to receive updates on the Kebbi abductions and Tuesday’s attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
According to a prior statement, the President is deeply concerned about the resurgence of attacks on schools and religious institutions and has ordered increased security measures in vulnerable areas.
Matawalle’s deployment highlights the administration’s commitment to treating the crisis as a national emergency requiring high-level, hands-on coordination.
Gunmen have escalated attacks in parts of the Northwest and North-Central in recent years, often targeting schools for mass abductions to extort ransom. Security forces have launched search-and-rescue missions in forests spanning Kebbi, Zamfara, and Niger states.
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