YOBE GOVERNOR REVEALS HOW SECURITY WAS WITHDRAWN FROM DAPCHI BEFORE ATTACK
YOBE
GOVERNOR REVEALS HOW SECURITY WAS WITHDRAWN FROM DAPCHI BEFORE ATTACK
No fewer than 105
students may be missing in the aftermath of Monday’s invasion of the Government
Girls’ Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, by suspected Boko Haram
terrorists, it was gathered yesterday.
The
names were personally submitted to the school’s authorities by the parents of
the affected students, according to the Chairman, Forum of Parents of the
missing Dapchi Girls, Mallam Bashir Manzo.
Governor
Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State said 84 students remain missing.
The
list contains the name of each missing student, her local government area and
telephone numbers of her parents.
A
mix of tension and mourning pervaded the community for the fifth day running
yesterday.
Residents
said it was clear from the behaviour of invaders on Monday that their mission
was solely to abduct the students.
Manzo
said when the gunmen demanded that they be shown the way to the school, some
residents tried to play a fast one on them and sent them in a wrong direction.
However
the gunmen soon found out their destination when they heard the students shouting.
Manzo,
recalling the sequence of events on the fateful day, said: “On Monday, Boko
Haram entered our town and started shouting. We just came out from Magrib
prayers when the shooting started.
“The
shooting by Boko Haram sparked confusion at the school with everyone running
helter-skelter.
“When
they came, they didn’t even know where the school was located. They came and
asked some people to show them the girls’ school.
“The
first person they asked to show them the school took them to Central Primary School.
“They
eventually found out the girls’ school when the students were screaming and
trying to jump over the fence in a bid to escape.
“They
rounded up as many girls as they could lay their hands on and packed them into
their vehicles.
“They
then escaped.
“The
following day, the school authorities took a roll call of children in the
school, but they did not give us the figure.
“The
list we have here is from the parents that came themselves and reported that
they had not seen their children up till this moment (yesterday).
“When
a parent comes, he gives us his name himself, the name of his child, his town,
local government area and his phone number. We are not collating these names by
any phone call or text message. You have to come yourself and give your name
and the name of your daughter that is missing, otherwise we will not accept
anything short of that.
“The
list we have got now is one hundred and five students that have not been found
up till today (yesterday).
“We
had a report that these children were found at Gaidam and people celebrated. We
even gathered that the children would be handed over to the governor here in
Dapchi.
“When
the governor came, we were gathered at the house of the District Head and the
governor told us that none of the girls had been rescued. The governor said he
was not sure whether our children are in Boko Haram’s captivity, but we are
sure that Boko Haram took our children. We have evidence.
“When
they took them (children), they were crying and screaming for help. They came
through the Gumsa Road and went back on the same road.
“Residents
of villages along that road heard the children crying and screaming in
the vehicles.
“In
one of the villages, residents overheard the insurgents saying they needed to
tie the children well so that they won’t escape.
“We
are calling on those that would help us get back our children to help us. We
are sure Boko Haram took our children. This one is an undisputable fact. That
is the truth. We gave our children to the school authorities and so they should
bring back our children. We will go as far as meeting President Buhari.
“They
only came to get the girls and not to do anything in this town.
“We
took the photographs of the store of the school and everything is intact. No
single food item was removed.
“We
are not happy with the delegation of the Federal Government. They did not look
for the principal or the parents of the missing girls or enter any office of
the principal or a classroom in the school when they visited Dapchi.”
Governor
Gaidam, however, said yesterday that from the figures available to him, 84
students remain missing.
He
put the students’ population at 906 out of which 822 were marked present after
the attack.
Gaidam
spoke yesterday when his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Ganduje, paid him a
visit in Damaturu.
The
Yobe governor expressed surprise that security men were unexpectedly withdrawn
from the town a few hours before the attack.
He
said the attack is a major setback in the war against Boko Haram.