Government begins probe, as it releases details of missing girls

The Federal Government has set up a 12-member committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of 110 pupils of the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi, Yobe State, while it has also released the names and details of the girls.

According to a statement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in Abuja yesterday, the committee, convened by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), will be chaired by a military officer of the rank of major general.

The committee will comprise of one senior provost each from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force; representatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA); Nigeria Police Force (NPF); Department of State Service (DSS); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); two representatives of the Yobe State government and a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The terms of reference of the committee include ascertaining the circumstances surrounding the abduction, confirming the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security emplaced in Dapchi and at GGSTC before the incident and suggesting measures that could lead to the location and rescue of the girls.

The committee which is expected to submit its report by March 15, 2018, will also recommend measures to prevent future occurrence, while it will be inaugurated tomorrow.

Eight of the missing girls are in JSS1; 17 in JSS2; 12 in JSS3; 40 in SS1; 19 in SS2; and 14 in SS3 and their ages range from 11 to 19 years.

The list of the missing girls, which also contains the contact address and phone number of each girl, was verified by a 26-member screening committee that included the Executive Secretary, State Teaching Service Board, Musa Abdulsalam; Director, Schools’ Management, Ministry of Education, Shuaibu Bulama; Principal of GGSTC, Adama Abdulkarim; the two Vice Principals, Ali Musa Mabu and Abdullahi Sule Lampo; Admission Officer, Bashir Ali Yerima, and the Form Masters for all the classes.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives, has summoned all service chiefs to brief on the state of security in the country and set up an ad hoc committee to visit Dapchi and investigate the abduction, while the House urged the Federal Government to mobilise security agencies for a speedy rescue of the abducted girls.

This came as the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, yesterday relocated to Yobe State to personally oversee the search for the girls.

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had earlier deployed more platforms to the North East for the operation.

Goni Bukar Lawan (APC, Yobe) raised the girls’ matter during a plenary presided over by Speaker Yakubu Dogara. Recalling the 2014 murder of 58 students of the College of Agriculture, Buni Yadi, Yobe State, he regretted the absence of security operatives in Dapchi on the day of the abduction.

The Speaker of the House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara in a statement said rather than trading blame over the incident, security agencies should strengthen collaboration towards rescuing the girls.

He said, “Statements credited to the army and the police in which they tried to exonerate themselves from any culpability in the unfortunate and embarrassing abduction is highly condemnable.

“This is unacceptable and the House of Representatives, and indeed Nigerians, will hold the security agencies responsible. They all bear responsibility for this unfortunate incident.

“The traumatic experience of the Chibok abduction, which is still fresh in our minds, should have served as a warning signal to security agencies to provide adequate protection to all schools in the North East.”

He condoled with the parents of the girls and urged Nigerians to pray for their safe return.

Expressing its displeasure with the Federal Government’s response to the incident, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to visit Dapchi to get first-hand information on the matter.