Schoolgirls Abduction: Tinubu Orders Defence Minister to Relocate to Kebbi

• President Bola Tinubu has directed Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State and oversee rescue operations for the 24 abducted schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga.

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 schoolgirls.

In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu instructed Matawalle to remain in Kebbi and directly monitor security operations aimed at rescuing the kidnapped students.

Gunmen had invaded Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, around 4:00 a.m. on Monday, abducting several students. One girl escaped shortly after the attack, leaving 24 still in captivity.

Tinubu also postponed his planned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited security briefings on the Kebbi abductions and the separate attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

According to the statement, Matawalle is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. It noted that the minister, a former governor of Zamfara State, had previously dealt with widespread banditry and mass abductions during his tenure between 2019 and 2023.

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One such incident was in February 2021, when 279 female students were abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, but were later freed.

Meanwhile, Senator Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South expressed optimism that the abducted girls would soon return home. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he stated that security agencies had a fair idea of the girls’ location and believed they remained within the Kebbi South Senatorial District.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has also visited the affected community, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe rescue of the students.