Tinubu, Matawalle Hailed Over Rescued Kebbi Schoolgirls

A northern advocacy coalition has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, and the Nigerian armed forces for a “well-coordinated and unrelenting security operation” that led to the rescue of the 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi state.

In a statement on Tuesday signed by its president, Dr Abdulrahman Al-Ma’aruf, the Northern Security and Civic Protection Forum (NSCPF) praised the federal government for demonstrating speed, seriousness and strategic clarity in responding to the abduction, noting that the successful recovery of the victims within days was a direct outcome of high-level coordination ordered by the President.

The group noted that the 24 students, taken from their hostels by armed bandits on November 17, regained freedom on November 25 “after sustained military pressure forced the captors to abandon them in the forests”.

Al-Ma’aruf said Tinubu’s directive asking Matawalle to immediately relocate to Kebbi “shifted the tone and urgency of the operation”, adding that the minister’s presence on the ground galvanised multiple layers of security response across the northwest.

“From the moment President Tinubu ordered the minister of state for defence to move to Kebbi and assume personal oversight of operations, the tempo changed,” the statement reads.

“His Excellency, Bello Matawalle, arrived with a clear mandate and deep personal knowledge of the terrain, having confronted similar security challenges during his years as governor of Zamfara. What followed was an intense, closely coordinated multi-agency assault that left the bandits with no safe corridor to escape with the girls. The sustained bombardments over several days created pressure they could not withstand.”

According to the group, the federal government’s handling of the incident showed a decisive break from the “slow and reactive security posture Nigerians had become familiar with in the past”.

Al-Ma’aruf said the rescue demonstrated that when properly backed by political will, the armed forces possess the operational capacity to overwhelm and dislodge criminal networks holding communities hostage.

“For four straight days, the military maintained air and ground pressure on the kidnappers’ hideouts. It was this level of intensity that forced the criminals to abandon the girls. What the armed forces have done is not just a rescue; it is a statement of authority,” the statement continued.

The group also praised the President for sending “a clear signal that schoolchildren are a red line for this administration”, noting that Tinubu’s quick intervention helped prevent what could have become “another prolonged national tragedy”.

Al-Ma’aruf urged the federal government to sustain the offensive against bandit groups and ensure that communities in Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger and Kaduna enjoy long-term security, adding that the successful operation should mark the beginning of an unbroken campaign against those who target children.

The northern group said the country owes the rescued schoolgirls a duty of care, calling for trauma support and reintegration programmes as they return to their families.

“With this rescue, the government has restored hope. Now it must consolidate by ensuring no child in northern Nigeria ever has to face such terror again,” the group added.