President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State to personally oversee efforts to secure the release of 25 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town. The abduction took place in a pre-dawn raid on Monday, resulting in the tragic death of the vice principal and the seizure of the students by gunmen.
President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President tasked Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State experienced in handling banditry and mass kidnappings, to remain in Kebbi and closely monitor the security operations.
The statement noted that during his tenure as Zamfara governor from 2019 to 2023, Matawalle managed similar security challenges, including a massive abduction in Jangebe where 279 female students were taken hostage and later freed.
He, as governor, “gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
“On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021,” the statement recalled.
The kidnapped girls were abducted when gunmen scaled the school’s fence and engaged police in a brief firefight. One of the abducted students has since escaped and returned home safely, providing crucial information for ongoing search operations.
In an earlier statement, President Tinubu had appealed to all security agencies to intensify intelligence-driven operations and pursue the kidnappers relentlessly, stating, “No effort must be spared until every hostage is freed and justice is served.”
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris also reassured citizens of heightened security measures and committed government resources to support the rescue mission.
Credit: The Sun