President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 schoolgirls from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, earlier in the week. The directive, announced in a statement by Presidential Spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, is aimed at ensuring close monitoring of security operations and swift rescue of the abducted students.

Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is expected to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday. His deployment is seen as strategic, given his previous experience handling banditry and large-scale kidnappings during his tenure between 2019 and 2023. Notably, he was in office during the infamous 2021 abduction of 279 schoolgirls in Jangebe, who were later released after days in captivity.

The 24 students were abducted around 4 a.m. on Monday when gunmen stormed their boarding facility in Maga town. The incident has sparked nationwide concern and renewed conversations around school safety, especially for girls in northern Nigeria. Security forces have since intensified operations in the affected areas, with federal authorities promising coordinated action to bring the girls home safely.

President Tinubu has also postponed his planned diplomatic trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaits further security briefings on both the Kebbi schoolgirls’ abduction and the deadly attack on worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.