President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to the Land of Equity, Kebbi State, after the abduction of 24 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.
The directive was confirmed in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The minister, a former governor of Zamfara State, has been told to remain in Kebbi to oversee rescue operations and coordinate with security agencies working to free the abducted schoolgirls. Gunmen stormed the school community around 4:00 am on Monday, taking 24 students away.
Matawalle is expected in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. During his time as Zamfara governor between 2019 and 2023, he confronted repeated episodes of mass abductions. One of the most serious incidents occurred on 26 February 2021, when armed men seized 279 female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. The victims were released days later, on 2 March 2021.
According to the statement, the situation in Kebbi has also led President Tinubu to postpone his planned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola. He is awaiting further security updates on both the schoolgirls’ abduction and the attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
The release from the State House reads: “President Bola Tinubu has asked the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State over the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in the state.
“Matawalle, who was formerly governor of Zamfara State, was asked to remain in the state to monitor security efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.
“Gunmen abducted 24 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State, around 4 am on Monday.
“Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birni-Kebbi on Friday, gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
“On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021.
“President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.”
