Parents and
school authorities have revealed that at least 94 school girls from Government Girls Science and Technical
Secondary School at Dapchi town in Bursari local government area of Yobe state
are missing after an all-girls school was attacked by Islamist militant group,
Boko Haram. The militants invaded the town on Monday
and targeted the all-girls
school after arriving the town around 7 pm with over 18 gun trucks. A community source told
Saharareporters that at least four bodies of students were recovered from the
bush in the nearby town of Kusur.
Although the
raid happened on Monday, the school authorities and parents waited to do a head
count of the students to be sure of the exact situation. According to residents
of the community, Boko Haram terrorists
came into Dapchi town with trucks mounted with high caliber weapons shooting
sporadically and later headed to the girls' hostels at the school where some
740 girls were resident. The sound from the sect’s militants explosives and
gunshots alerted the students and their teachers who immediately scampered into
nearby bushes for safety.
However,
after the headcount on Tuesday, it was discovered that at least 94 of the girls
were still missing. The school was immediately closed down while education
authorities and security forces in the state began efforts to locate the
missing students.
Residents
and civilian militia groups in Dapchi say they believe Boko Haram had carefully
planned to kidnap schoolgirls in their town over some time. A week before the
attack soldiers protecting the town were moved elsewhere leaving the town
vulnerable. Nigerian security forces backed by military jets later arrived
Dapchi and "chased away" the terrorists who had continued on a
looting spree. Nigerian military sources are unusually silent about latest
claims by parents that the girls might have been abducted after Monday night
raid. A military source last night told Saharareporters that they could not
confirm or deny if the missing girls were abducted.
In April
2014, Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 girls from a school in the northeastern
town of Chibok in Borno state sparking global outrage that birthed the
#BringBackOurGirls campaign. In September 2017, some 100 Chibok girls were
reunited with their families after the Nigerian government shelled out over €2
million in ransom payments to Boko Haram terrorists. The deal also included a
controversial prisoner swap deal with the Nigerian government that saw five
Boko Haram top commanders released.
More than
100 schoolgirls remain in the custody of Boko Haram terrorists who are believed
to be using them to negotiate for more cash and release of top terrorist
commanders in the custody of Nigerian authorities.
.
Dapchi students . during yesterday's headcount
Dapchi GGSTC students left their belongings after the attack
Dapchi GGSTC students left their belongings after the attack
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