BREAKING: Tinubu orders Matawalle to relocate to Kebbi over kidnapped schoolgirls

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State following the abduction of 24 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area.

Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara State, is expected to arrive Birnin Kebbi on Friday and remain in the state to coordinate and oversee the ongoing search-and-rescue operations. The presidency noted that his experience handling the 2021 abduction of schoolgirls from Jangebe — where 279 students were eventually released — will be crucial in guiding the current efforts.

The directive underscores the federal government’s heightened response to the latest attack, as security agencies intensify operations to track the kidnappers and secure the safe return of the abducted students.