Tinubu orders Defence Minister to relocate to, remain in Kebbi for rescue of 24 schoolgirls
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State to oversee efforts to rescue the 24 schoolgirls abducted earlier this week.
The directive was announced in a State House press release signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
According to the statement, Matawalle has been asked to remain in Kebbi State and closely monitor security operations aimed at securing the safe release of the students, who were taken in the early hours of Monday from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, located in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area.
Gunmen reportedly invaded the school around 4 am and abducted the girls, sparking renewed concerns over the safety of students in the northern region.
The Minister of State for Defence, who is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, is believed to bring relevant experience to the assignment. As governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023, Matawalle dealt with several cases of banditry and mass abductions. One notable incident was the kidnapping of 279 female students from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, on 26 February 2021. The girls, aged between 10 and 17, were released on 2 March 2021.
The Presidency also confirmed that President Tinubu has postponed his planned trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola. The decision, according to the statement, allows him to receive continuous security briefings on the Kebbi school abductions and the attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
The President’s directive comes amid increasing pressure on the Federal Government to respond more decisively to rising insecurity across the country.
