Tinubu Orders Defence Minister Matawalle to Relocate to Kebbi After Abduction of 24 Schoolgirls
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 schoolgirls by gunmen in Maga, a community in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area.
The directive, issued through Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, mandates Matawalle to remain in Kebbi until measurable progress is made in the rescue efforts. The minister is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
Gunmen reportedly stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, around 4 a.m. on Monday, whisking away 24 students in the latest wave of mass abductions targeting educational institutions.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is regarded as having significant experience handling banditry and large-scale kidnappings. During his tenure, Zamfara witnessed multiple high-profile abductions, including the widely reported abduction of 279 female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, on 26 February 2021. The victims, aged between 10 and 17, were released on 2 March after intense negotiations.
The President’s directive comes as part of renewed federal pressure to resolve the Kebbi incident swiftly. President Tinubu also postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to focus on national security developments. He is awaiting further briefings on both the schoolgirls’ abduction and the recent attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
State House authorities say security agencies have already intensified operations across the affected axis, with aerial surveillance and ground troops deployed to track the movement of the abductors.