Group Hails Tinubu, Matawalle Over Swift Rescue of 24 Kebbi Schoolgirls
A northern advocacy coalition has applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Minister of State for Defence Bello Matawalle, and Nigeria’s armed forces for what it described as a “decisive, well-coordinated security operation” that secured the rescue of the 24 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Northern Security and Civic Protection Forum (NSCPF), led by its president, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Ma’aruf, said the rapid recovery of the girls—kidnapped on November 17 and freed eight days later—was the result of “clear presidential directives, high-level coordination, and sustained military pressure” on the abductors.
According to the group, military bombardments and ground operations over several days forced the kidnappers to abandon the students in the forest.
Al-Ma’aruf noted that President Tinubu’s directive ordering Matawalle to immediately relocate to Kebbi “changed the tempo of the entire operation,” adding that the minister’s presence on the ground triggered swift multi-agency coordination across the northwest.
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“From the moment the President asked the Minister of State for Defence to take personal charge in Kebbi, the tone shifted. Bello Matawalle arrived with a firm mandate and deep familiarity with the terrain, and what followed was an intense, seamless multi-agency push that left the bandits without a safe corridor,” the statement said.
The Forum said the prompt rescue marked a clear departure from “the slow, reactive posture Nigerians had grown accustomed to in previous years,” arguing that the operation proved the armed forces were capable of overwhelming criminal networks when backed by strong political will.
“For four straight days, air and ground troops maintained unrelenting pressure. This wasn’t just a rescue—it was a statement of authority,” the group said.
It added that Tinubu’s intervention sent a strong message that attacks on schoolchildren “remain a red line for this administration,” preventing what could have escalated into another prolonged national tragedy.
The NSCPF urged the federal government to sustain military offensives against bandit enclaves across Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger and Kaduna, insisting that the successful operation should signal the beginning of a continuous crackdown on groups targeting children.
The coalition also called for trauma care and reintegration programmes for the rescued schoolgirls.
“With this rescue, the government has restored hope. The next step is ensuring no child in northern Nigeria ever has to experience such terror again,” the group added.
