President Bola Tinubu has directed the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, to immediately relocate to Kebbi State to oversee security operations following the abduction of 24 female students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town.In a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President instructed Matawalle, a former Governor of Zamfara State to remain on ground in Kebbi until further notice to coordinate efforts aimed at securing the safe release of the abducted schoolgirls.The gunmen stormed the school hostel around 4 a.m. on Monday, abducting the students in a pre-dawn raid.Matawalle, who is scheduled to arrive in Birnin Kebbi on Friday, brings prior experience in handling mass abductions, having successfully negotiated the release of 279 schoolgirls kidnapped from Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State, in February 2021 during his tenure as governor (2019–2023).Meanwhile, President Tinubu has postponed his planned official visits to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, to enable him receive continuous security updates on the Kebbi abduction as well as a separate attack on worshippers at Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Kwara State.
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