Tinubu Orders Defence Minister Matawalle to Relocate to Kebbi After Abduction of 24 Schoolgirls
By Paul Ebi
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 24 schoolgirls in Maga town, Sakaba Local Government Area
The girls, students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, were kidnapped around 4 a.m. on Monday when armed men stormed their hostel in yet another attack that underscores Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
According to the Presidency, Matawalle has been instructed to remain in the state indefinitely to coordinate, supervise, and strengthen ongoing security operations aimed at rescuing the abducted students.
Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is no stranger to mass abductions. During his administration (2019–2023), Zamfara saw several large-scale kidnappings—including the notorious 26 February 2021 attack in which 279 students of Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, were abducted. The girls were released five days later, on 2 March 2021, after intense negotiations and security pressure.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the President has also postponed his planned trips to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits more detailed security briefings on both the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction and the recent deadly attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church, Eruku, in Kwara State.
“The President is closely monitoring all developments and has directed security agencies to leave no stone unturned,” Onanuga said in a statement issued on November 20, 2025.
The abduction has once again ignited nationwide concern over the safety of students in Northern Nigeria, where schools—particularly girls’ boarding facilities—remain soft targets for armed groups operating across forests and border communities.
Search-and-rescue operations were still ongoing at press time.
