Rescue of schoolgirls: Tinubu directs defence minister, Matawalle to relocate to Kebbi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate rescue operations for the 25 schoolgirls abducted earlier this week.
The presidential directive followed the invasion and abduction of 25 schoolgirls of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
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It was reported that gunmen around 4:00 a.m. on Monday, stormed the school and took away the students in yet another attack on schoolchildren in northern Nigeria.
The President’s directive was disclosed on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
He said the Minister is to remain in Kebbi until all efforts to secure the girls’ release are concluded.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is expected in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
His deployment is seen as leveraging his experience in managing large-scale banditry incidents and student abductions that plagued Zamfara during his 2019–2023 tenure.
One of the most notable incidents during Matawalle’s governorship occurred on February 26, 2021, when gunmen abducted 279 female students from the Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. All victims were eventually released on March 2, 2021.
President Tinubu, who has been receiving hourly updates from security agencies, also postponed his official trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, in order to remain fully engaged with the security situation.
The delay followed not only the Kebbi abduction but also Monday’s attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
The Presidency reiterated that securing the abducted schoolgirls remains a top national priority, assuring Nigerians that security agencies are intensifying efforts to track down the perpetrators and rescue the victims safely.
