President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, to pack his bags and move to Kebbi State immediately. The President wants him on the ground to personally supervise the security operations aimed at rescuing the 24 students abducted from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga.
The directive, issued on Thursday night, requires the Minister to remain in the state until substantial progress is made. Matawalle is expected to arrive in Birni-Kebbi on Friday to take charge of the operations.
The abduction, which took place around 4:00 am on Monday, has drawn national outrage and forced the President to put his diplomatic schedule on hold. The gunmen stormed the school in Maga town, snatching the students and disappearing into the unknown, leaving parents and the community in anguish.
The Presidency is banking on his local knowledge and past experience to speed up the recovery of the girls.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga explained the reasoning behind the President’s decision;
He gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023. On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021 – Onanuga
This operational shift comes just days after President Tinubu suspended his planned trips to South Africa and Angola to focus squarely on the security breaches in Kebbi and Kwara States.
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