President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State in response to the abduction of 25 schoolgirls. The move aims to bolster security efforts and ensure the safe return of the students.
The directive was confirmed in a statement by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday. Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is expected to remain in Kebbi until the hostages are released.
The girls, all students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, were kidnapped by gunmen around 4 a.m. on Monday.
Matawalle brings experience in handling mass kidnappings and banditry from his time as Zamfara governor between 2019 and 2023. During his tenure, he managed the release of 279 female students abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe in February 2021. The hostages were freed on March 2, 2021.
In light of the Kebbi abductions and a recent attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State, President Tinubu postponed trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to receive updated security briefings.