President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State to coordinate security operations following the abduction of 24 schoolgirls in Maga, Sakaba Local Government Area.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, the minister is to remain in Kebbi until significant progress is made in securing the release of the students, who were kidnapped around 4 a.m. on Monday from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.
Onanuga said the president took the decision to ensure a more hands-on, coordinated, and high-level response to the incident.
“President Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi State and personally oversee efforts to rescue the abducted schoolgirls,” Onanuga stated. “The President wants continuous, on-the-ground security briefings and rapid action toward ensuring their safe return.”
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023, is no stranger to dealing with armed banditry, mass kidnappings, and rural insecurity. During his administration, Zamfara witnessed several school abductions, the most prominent being the 26 February 2021 kidnapping of 279 female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe. The students, aged between 10 and 17, were released on 2 March 2021 after days of intense negotiations and security pressure.
His experience, the presidency believes, will be useful in coordinating joint operations in Kebbi, where security agencies have intensified pursuit of the perpetrators.
The attack in Kwara, alongside the Kebbi abduction, has heightened security concerns in the North-West and North-Central regions, prompting fresh directives from the presidency.
The abduction in Kebbi adds to a troubling resurgence of school kidnappings in the North-West, where armed groups continue to target vulnerable rural communities. The incident also revives memories of previous mass kidnappings in the region, including the Jangebe and Kankara school abductions, which drew national and global condemnation.
Security agencies have assured families of the victims that search, rescue, and intelligence operations are underway.
