Schoolgirls Abduction: Tinubu Orders Defence Minister Matawalle To Relocate To Kebbi

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate immediately to Kebbi State following the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the state.

The directive was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, Matawalle is to remain on ground in Kebbi to coordinate and monitor security operations aimed at securing the release of the abducted students.

The attack occurred around 4am on Monday when gunmen invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, abducting 24 students.

The kidnapping has sparked renewed fear and condemnation nationwide amid a series of coordinated attacks targeting schools and worship centres.

Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, is believed to bring relevant experience to the crisis, having governed Zamfara State between 2019 and 2023 — a period marked by heavy banditry and mass abductions.

On 26 February 2021, during his tenure as governor, 279 female students were abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. All the students were released days later on 2 March 2021.

The Presidency noted that Matawalle’s knowledge of banditry dynamics in the North-West would aid ongoing rescue strategies.

The statement also revealed that President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security updates regarding the Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.

The President, according to the statement, is receiving continuous briefings and has ordered security agencies to intensify efforts across affected states.

The kidnapping has reignited calls for improved school security, especially in northern states where mass abductions have persisted in recent years.