Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Country’s junior defence minister to relocate to the country’s north-west following the abduction of two dozen schoolgirls. Bello Matawalle, the Minister of State for Defence, has been directed to move to Kebbi state to coordinate security operations aimed at rescuing the students. Gunmen stormed the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in the town of Maga early on Monday, seizing 24 students. The incident has prompted President Tinubu to postpone scheduled diplomatic visits to South Africa and Angola as the government grapples with the security crisis.
A recurring crisis
The deployment of Mr Matawalle is seen as a move to bring high-level federal oversight to the rescue mission. The minister is expected to arrive in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi, on Friday. He is a former governor of neighbouring Zamfara state, a region that has frequently been at the epicentre of Nigeria’s banditry crisis. During his tenure as governor in February 2021, armed gangs raided a boarding school in Jangebe, Zamfara, abducting 279 girls aged between 10 and 17. All hostages were eventually released days later. Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative industry for criminal gangs in north-west Nigeria, often targeting schools, travellers, and rural communities.
Security challenges
The presidency stated that Mr Tinubu is also awaiting briefings regarding a separate attack on worshippers at a church in Eruku, in the north-central state of Kwara. Security remains a significant challenge for the administration, with armed groups stretching the capacity of the military and police across several regions. While the authorities often refrain from paying ransoms publicly, families and local communities frequently negotiate with captors to secure the release of loved ones.
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