Tinubu Deploys Key Government Functionaries To Kebbi State In Search Of Abducted School Girls

By Naija Enquirer Staff

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the state.

Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, has been instructed to remain in the area and oversee ongoing security operations aimed at securing the release of the abducted students.

Gunmen reportedly stormed Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, in the early hours of Monday, kidnapping 24 students from their dormitory at about 4 a.m.

According to government sources, Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birnin-Kebbi on Friday, is considered experienced in tackling mass kidnapping and banditry, having dealt with similar security crises during his tenure as governor of Zamfara between 2019 and 2023.

Notably, on February 26, 2021, armed bandits kidnapped 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The abducted schoolgirls were later released on March 2, 2021.

Meanwhile, President Tinubu has also postponed his scheduled diplomatic trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further briefing on the abduction of the Kebbi schoolgirls and the recent attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.