Following the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi, President Bola Tinubu has instructed Defence Minister, Bello Matawalle to move to the state immediately to manage security operations.
According to a statement released Thursday by the President’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, will remain in Kebbi to oversee efforts aimed at securing the release of the kidnapped students.
The abduction occurred around 4 a.m. on Monday, when gunmen kidnapped 24 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State. Matawalle is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. His prior experience handling banditry and mass kidnappings during his tenure as Zamfara governor from 2019 to 2023 is considered crucial for coordinating the response.
Notably, on 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students, aged 10 to 17, from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State. All hostages were released on 2 March 2021 following negotiations.
Tinubu has also postponed planned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to receive security briefings on the Kebbi schoolgirl abduction as well as a recent attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
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