President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.
The students were seized by gunmen in the early hours of Monday, sparking renewed concerns about school security in the North-West. According to the State House, Matawalle is to remain in Kebbi to oversee and coordinate rescue operations until further notice.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is expected in Birnin-Kebbi on Friday. His experience in handling mass kidnappings during his tenure from 2019 to 2023 is seen as critical to the current rescue efforts. In February 2021, 279 schoolgirls were abducted from Jangebe in Zamfara; they were released days later.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has postponed his planned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola. The President is awaiting detailed security briefings on the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction and the recent attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
The directive was contained in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.
