A northern advocacy coalition has said President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi in the wake of the abduction of school children shifted the tone and urgency of the dire situation, prompting a positive outcome.
The coalition also urged the federal government to sustain the offensive against terrorists and ensure that communities in Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger and Kaduna enjoy long-term security.
Recall that the President had ordered Matawalle to relocate to from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, on November 17.
On November 25, 24 of the abducted school children regained their freedom after what was described as ‘intensified joint operations involving the military, police, vigilantes, and intelligence teams across forest routes in the area.’ https://dailypost.ng/2025/11/25/25-abducted-kebbi-schoolgirls-regain-freedom/
However, the Northern Security and Civic Protection Forum, NSCPF, said the rescue demonstrates what could happen when the armed forces are properly backed by political will to dislodge criminal networks.
Commending efforts of the government and of the Nigerian armed forces, the NSCPF noted that the handling of the recent incident showed a departure from the slow and reactive security posture that Nigeria has been known for in the past.
In a statement on Tuesday, signed by its president, Dr Abdulrahman Al-Ma’aruf, the group said the government, in this instance, demonstrated 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 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,” the group noted.
Al-Ma’aruf noted Tinubu’s directive asking Matawalle to immediately relocate to Kebbi, 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.
“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.
“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.
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.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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