Dr. Bello Matawalle may not wear military fatigues, but one thing nobody can take away from him is his deep understanding of Nigeria’s security crisis—particularly in the North West, where banditry and mass kidnappings have tormented communities for years. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the Minister of State for Defence to relocate to Kebbi and take charge of securing the release of abducted schoolgirls, it was not a symbolic gesture. It was a strategic choice rooted in experience, expertise, and a rare grasp of the terrain and its dynamics. Many fail to appreciate that Dr. Matawalle’s appointment as Minister of State for Defence was a deliberate decision based on his proven record.
As Governor of Zamfara State, Dr. Matawalle built a reputation for confronting banditry with a blend of decisiveness and strategic engagement. He once noted publicly that, under his watch, Zamfara enjoyed a period of more than a year without a single bandit attack—an achievement that did not come by accident, but by applying a well-calibrated carrot-and-stick approach that restored a measure of stability to the state.
His efforts went beyond preventing attacks; they extended to rescuing victims—a task he is needed to handle today. In 2020, through the Zamfara Peace Initiative, he secured the unconditional release of 11 kidnap victims without ransom. By June 2022, the Zamfara government announced that over 3,000 kidnap victims had been rescued between September 2019 and January 2022 alone. These included schoolchildren, women, and men abducted across the state. Many of these rescues took place in and around Gando Forest—one of the major hideouts of the region’s most notorious criminal groups. Matawalle’s deep knowledge of the terrain and his collaboration with security forces were instrumental in identifying these hideouts, flushing out the criminals, and bringing victims home.
His understanding of the regional dynamics extended beyond Nigeria’s borders. With the approval of former President Muhammadu Buhari, he made repeated security visits to Niamey, Niger Republic, meeting with then-President Mohammed Bazoum to discuss joint operations, border security, and efforts to halt the inflow of dangerous weapons into the North West. Few leaders in the region possess such cross-border security experience.
Matawalle’s strength are practical and hard-earned. He understands the human terrain of the North West: its cultures, networks, clan dynamics, unspoken hierarchies, and the complicated mix of grievance, criminal opportunism, and survival instincts that fuel the security crisis. Successfully negotiating the release of kidnap victims requires not just authority, but trust, patience, credibility, and the kind of familiarity that cannot be bought or borrowed. Dr. Matawalle has consistently demonstrated all of these.
Perhaps the most defining example of his capability came in 2021, when over 300 schoolboys were abducted in Kankara, Katsina State. It was Matawalle that President Buhari personally contacted. And it was Matawalle who secured their safe return—every single one of them—without a shot fired, and without paying ransom.
This is why the Kebbi crisis demands more than military boots on the ground. It requires someone who understands the psychology of the actors involved, who can navigate informal and sensitive channels, and who knows how to convert intelligence into results without escalating the situation. President Tinubu’s decision to deploy Matawalle to Kebbi reflects clarity: he knows exactly who is best suited for the mission at hand.
Dr. Matawalle is a product of the realities of the North West. He is shaped by them, familiar with their intricacies, and respected by actors who often operate outside formal structures of authority. In a moment like this, such knowledge is as critical as any arsenal or tactical deployment.
Still, the task before him is urgent, delicate, and enormously heavy. But for the girls of Kebbi—taken in fear, held in harsh conditions, and waiting for rescue—there is hope in knowing that the President has placed this mission in the hands of someone who has done it before, and done it repeatedly.
For their sake, and for the country, we hope that this decision yields the outcome every Nigerian desires: their safe return, as swiftly as possible.
– Dahiru Bashir Hassan is a security researcher and writes from the FCT
