Repeat of Chibok situation? Conflicting reports on missing Yobe students a cause for worry
Contrary to reports Wednesday night that operatives of the military had rescued the missing students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam has said nothing of such happened.
The school was raided by Boko Haram members on Monday and early reports said the insurgents only succeeded in carting away food items.
Students were said to have fled as the terrorists ran rampage.
At least 90 students were, however, declared missing after authorities at the school made a roll call.
Aggrieved parents stormed the school on Wednesday, demanding the whereabouts of their children. Shortly after, 48 of the students were said to have been found.
After much silence, President Buhari eventually reacted to the news and ordered military operatives to take charge of the situation at the school.
Only few hours after, reports – even from Buhari’s media aides – circulated that the students had been found and were in custody of the military.
That assertion has now been dispelled as false by the state governor who told aggrieved family members on his visit to the community early Thursday that they should keep praying for the girls to be found.
Gaidam said: “Until now, we have no certainly that these boys (Boko haram) have taken these girls. We should keep praying so that God reveal the whereabouts of the girls.
“We directed the soldiers and security personnel to go anywhere the girls are said to have been seen and find them. I am together with the GOC, Brig-Gen Garba.
“His men went to places that the girls were said to have been sighted but, for the past two days, wherever the troops go, they were only told that it was a convoy of Boko haram passing through the villages but they didn’t see any girls.”
Huge boos were said to been directed at Gaidam as he made the statement.
The very conflicting reports by authorities evoke disturbing memories of the blame game that threatened to overshadow the trauma of Chibok girls’ abduction on the victims and their families in 2014.
Hopefully, a repeat of the Chibok girls’ situation will be prevented – for the children, their families, and the nation’s sake.
