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Tag: Dapchi

  • Dapchi, Chibok abduction: ‘Leave our Girls alone!’ Aisha Buhari tells Boko Haram insurgents

    Wife of the President Mrs Aisha Buhari says she shares in the sorrow and agony of parents of all abducted girls in the country.

    Mrs Buhari said that she shared the agony of especially parents of the abducted Chibok and Dapchi school girls.

    She expressed the concern in Abuja on Thursday while delivering a speech she titled: “Leave Our Daughters Alone’’, to mark the 2018 International Women`s Day.

    “As a mother, I share (in) the sorrow and agony which the parents are going through up to this moment.

    “I am aware of the efforts being made for the release of the remaining Chibok girls as well as the recently (abducted) Dapchi girls.

    “It is my sincere hope that the efforts will yield positive results.”

    The wife of the President said that the abductions had further exposed the long-standing evil perpetrated against women in the society.

    She, therefore, called on relevant stakeholders, especially the media, to stand against the “disturbing issue’’.

    “It is a disturbing issue for which we must put heads together, pray, speak out, show concern and ensure that the situation come an end.’’

    She, therefore, called on Nigerians, especially the media to join the campaign against all forms of abduction and maltreatment of the Nigerian woman.

    Mrs Buhari said it was unfortunate that celebration of the 2018 International women`s day came with pains and agony following the abduction of the Dapchi School girls.

    She also expressed concern over the use of young girls by insurgents to carry out suicide bombing.

    She, however, congratulated Nigerian women for successfully marking the Day and prayed for greater opportunities for the Nigerian woman.

    The wife of the president also prayed for Nigerian women to have equal opportunities in governance as their male counterparts.

    In her remark, the wife of Vice-President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, said the 2018 event came in a very happy and worst situation considering the progress made by Nigerian team at the winter Olympic as well as the abduction of the Dapchi girls.

    Mrs Osinbajo also called for equal opportunity to the women.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the United Nations set aside March 8, of every year to mark the International women`s day.

    The event was organised by the National Centre for Women Development in collaboration with the wife of the President.

  • Senate summons security chiefs over Chibok, Dapchi girls’ abduction

    …demands two-week rescue plan

    The Senate has summoned the ‎Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to explain the circumstances surrounding the abduction of 110 students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, by Boko Haram on February 19.

    The invitation followed the adoption of a motion moved by Senator Binta Masi Garba, to commemorate the 2018 International Women’s Day.

    The motion had Senators Stella Oduah, Oluremi Tinubu, Biodun Olujimi, Monsurat Sumonu, Fatima Raji-Rasaki, Rose Oko, John Enoh and Yele Omogunwa ‎as co-sponsors.

    Unanimously granting prayers of the motion, the lawmakers resolved to “felicitate with Nigerian women and girls on this year’s International Women’s Day Celebration.”

    They also mandated the Senate Joint Committees on Police Affairs; and Security and Intelligence “to summon the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Army Staff to brief the Senate on the actual situation of things regarding the kidnap and, in addition, present clear operational strategies to rescue the remaining Chibok and Dapchi schoolgirls within two weeks.”

    Boko Haram had earlier on April 14, 2014, abducted over 200 pupils of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, while more than half of them had either escaped or secured their release through negotiations.

    Olujimi, who presented the motion on Garba’s behalf, said the Senate was concerned that the implementation of policies that prohibit violence against women and girls, and promote the girl-child’s education was still poor.

    “Practices such as violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual and other types of exploitation, early child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation are still being practised,” she said.

    Olujimi added, “The Senate is further concerned that the spate of girl-child kidnapping in Nigeria has assumed an alarming dimension. On the 21st of February, 2018, the nation was shocked with the news of the kidnap of 110 schoolgirls from Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Busari Local Government Area of Yobe State. This incidence is reminiscence of the 2014 Chibok girls’ abduction in which 113 of the girls are still in captivity almost four years after.

    “The Senate is worried that a pattern is gradually being established which clearly indicates that the objectives of the Boko Haram insurgents is to deprive young girls of school age from pursuing education.

    “The Senate is further worried that if this ugly trend is not checked, the girl-child education, which is part of the objective of goal Number 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals would have been lost in Nigeria, even before the 2030 target year.”

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, called for proper implementation of the affirmative action by Nigeria.

  • PDP women initiate Dapchi schoolgirls discourse at #IWD2018

    Women of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) have joined voices to #PressForProgress calling on the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration to release the 110 schoolgirls recently kidnapped at Government Girls Science and Technical College, Daptchi, Yobe State.

    National Women Leader of the PDP, Hajiya Mariya Waziri, made the call in discussions for the release of the schoolgirls at an event organized by the party at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

    TheNewsGuru reports Boko Haram attacked the Government Girls Secondary School Dapchi on 19 February 2018 at sunset when some of the students were breaking their fast which they usually observe on Mondays.

    The Federal Government had since released names and other details of the 110 girls who are yet to be accounted for following the attack.

    The PDP National Women Leader speaking against gender disparity, called on the President Muhammadu Buhari led FG to work out modalities to ensure that the 110 schoolgirls yet to be accounted for are release.

    International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 to mark the achievements of women and highlight issues concerning their advancement and rights to social, economic and political opportunities.

     

  • VIDEO: ‘Dapchi schoolgirls are safe, their abductor is a nice guy’ says Aisha Wakil

    A human rights activist, Mrs. Aisha Wakil, has said that the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls are safe with Habib, whom she called her son, and his friends; and that Nigerians have nothing to fear concerning the overall wellbeing of the pupils.

    Wakil, also fondly called Mama Boko Haram, revealed that a faction of Boko Haram had contacted her, confirming to her that it had the 110 schoolgirls who were abducted on February 19, 2018.

    Wakil was a member of the Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges Committee in the northern region, set up during the President Goodluck Jonathan era.

    See the video below:

  • Dapchi girls’ abduction: Extend your search to neighbouring countries, FG tells Army

    The ongoing search for the 110 girls who were abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State, has been extended to the neighbouring countries, the Federal Government has announced.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said top military and security officials on Thursday travelled to the North-east to add more urgency to the search, which has now been extended beyond the North-east theatre.

    The officials include the nation’s top military officer and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Army Staff; Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai and the Director-General of the Department of State Services,
    Alhaji Lawal Daura.

    They joined the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who had earlier relocated to the North-east, as well as the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd), who has also visited the theatre.

    The Federal Government had earlier released the names and other details of the 110 girls who have yet to be accounted for, following the attack on the GGSTC, Dapchi, Yobe State, on 19 Feb. 2018.

    The panel set up by the Federal Government to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls was inaugurated on Thursday by the NSA.

  • Dapchi attack: Sultan’s group describes Buhari-led govt as unserious

    The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, which is under the leadership of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has described the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government as unserious.

    The position of the JNI followed the abduction of 110 girls from the Government Girls School in Dapchi, Yobe State.

    The group then told the Federal Government not to spare efforts to immediately rescue all the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls and others in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents.

    The group also insisted that heads must roll in the security forces, especially against the backdrop of buck-passing between the Army and Police.

    In a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, the JNI said the circumstances of the abduction raised serious concern about the genuineness of some security agents to the fight against insurgency.

    It condemned the buck-passing between the police and the military over the abduction, saying it was an indication that something was seriously wrong.

    The JNI said: “An example must be set, heads must roll for this negligence. The inquiry is not the only way to go.

    “In fact, a serious government would have, by now, put in jail and suspended all negligent security and political chiefs who could and should have protected these innocent children, rather than the rigmarole setting up of an investigative panel.

    “If there is a worse outcome than the abduction itself, it is the fact that this is the most potent action to frustrate girl-child education in Northern Nigeria, despite the many enrolment campaign efforts for female education.

    “No parent now is comfortable, especially in the North East, to allow his daughter to go to such callously unprotected schools. And the North is the loser! Therefore, this is a wakeup call to the quiescent northern governors.”

  • UN outraged by Dapchi schoolgirls abduction – Guterres

    UN outraged by Dapchi schoolgirls abduction – Guterres

    The UN has expressed outrage at the abduction of 110 schoolgirls of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe, by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

    The Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, said in a statement by his Spokesperson, Mr Stephane Dujarric that he “strongly condemns the abduction and attack”.

    Guterres said he was gravely concerned over the situation of the schoolgirls’ abducted during an attack on their educational institution in Dapch, Yobe state, on Feb. 19.

    The Secretary-General called for the immediate and unconditional release of all missing girls and for their safe return to their families.

    The UN chief urged the Nigerian authorities to swiftly bring those responsible for this dastardly act to justice.

    Guterres reiterated the solidarity and support of the UN to Nigerian Government and other affected countries in the region in their fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

    The UN had earlier described the abduction as “another horrific incident where young women and girls are targeted by terror groups”.

    “And we very much hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, and just as importantly, that the girls will be found and returned to safety.

    “I think the fact that these young women were abducted in an educational setting, where they should have been safe, where they should feel safe, just adds to the horror of the story.”

     

  • #DapchiGirls: Stop the blame game, Dogara tells Army, Police

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has asked security agencies to take responsibility for failing to stop the abduction of 110 schoolgirls in Dapchi, Yobe State, adding that the buck passing between the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force is unacceptable.

    In a press statement, Hon Dogara said rather than trading blames, the various security agencies should strengthen inter-agency collaboration and intensify efforts towards rescuing the girls.

    “The statements credited to the Army and the Police in which they tried to exonerate themselves from any culpability in the unfortunate and embarrassing abduction of innocent girls from their school in Dapchi , Yobe State, 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 serve as a warning signal to security agencies to provide adequate security protection to all schools in the North East.

    “I want to use this medium to console the parents of the abducted girls and the entire Dapchi community over this unfortunate incident. I also urge all Nigerians and people of goodwill from all over to pray for the safe return of the girls”.

     

  • Mr President Sir, go to Dapchi! PDP tells Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to halt the feasting with the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains in Aso Villa and show leadership by visiting the troubled Dapchi, Yobe state, to get a first hand information on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the 110 school girls under his watch.

    This noble advice, if heeded by Mr President, will bridge the disconnect between him and Nigerians, who daily lament the aloofness of their leader.

    The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday, said it was disheartening that while the parents of our abducted daughters are wailing and the insurgents are fleeing deeper, the President and his APC leaders are busy feasting in the Presidential Villa and plotting their bound-to-fail 2019 re-election campaign.

    President Buhari has completely reneged on his assurances, before his election, to be a father to all and to lead the fight against insurgency from the fronts.

    Nigerians are worried that he has now allowed himself to be holed in the safety and luxury of the presidential villa while citizens are being slaughtered and taken captives by marauders and insurgents.

    Nigerians are shocked that the presidential mandate of protecting lives has now been reduced to a cosmetic dispatching of ministers and persons with no knowledge of security, including those known to be falsifying performance indices, on mere fact-finding missions, while machinery for proactive security measures are left unattended.

    Today, Nigerians are daily slaughtered and taken as captives because those who have the direct mandate to protect them are more interested in their ill-lucked 2019 re-election ambition while the citizens are left to whatever fate befell them.

    Painfully, Nigerians are yet to see any concrete action taken by the Buhari Presidency to apprehend the perpetrators of the gruesome killings in Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, Adamawa, Borno, Plateau, Nasarawa and Yobe among other states where our citizens are being hacked down by marauders and insurgents.

    They are yet to see any step so far taken, outside empty promises, to end or even reduce the carnage.

    Most appalling is the fact that while the parents of our 110 abducted Dapchi daughters are still wailing and insurgents driving into deeper recesses, the President and his partymen are busy feasting in the Presidential villa and plotting their 2019 campaigns; of course, with funds meant for the wellbeing of the people and our nation.

    Indeed, this President Buhari-led and discredited APC-controlled Federal Government holds Nigerians in total disdain.

    This administration is completely insensitive to the plight of the people and it is not a surprise that majority of Nigerians are more than prepared to reject them at the polls come 2019.

    We therefore plead with President Buhari to show leadership by immediately calling off his feasting in the Presidential Villa and take that bold step to visit Dapchi, where a soothing word from him will be a balm for the distraught community.

    We also urge him to take decisive steps to scale up action for the return of our girls in spite of the huge speculations that has filled the air.

    The President must keep his words to lead from the fronts.

     

  • FG sets up committee to probe abduction of Dapchi girls

    The Federal Government has set up a 12-member committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of 110 students of the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday said the committee was convened by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd).

    He said the committee, which will be chaired by a military officer of the rank of Major-General, comprised one senior Provost each from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force.

    He said other members of the committee included representatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA); Nigeria Police Force (NPF); Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    The minister said that the committee also included two representatives of the Yobe State Government and a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

    He said the terms of reference of the Committee included ascertaining the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls.

    He said the committee would confirm the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security emplaced in
    Dapchi and in GGSTC before the incident.

    The minister said the committee would suggest measures that could lead to the location and rescue of the girls and recommend measures to prevent future occurrence.

    He said the committee to be inaugurated on Wednesday is expected to submit its report by March 15.

    Earlier, the federal government released names of the missing girls.

    The list, which the minister said was handed over to him by the Yobe Government, contains the name, age, and class of each of the 110 students.

    Out of the 110 missing girls, eight are said to be in JSS1, 17 in JSS2, 12 in JSS3, 40 in SS1, 19 in SS2 and 14 in SS3.
    Mohammed said that the girls’ ages range from 11 to 19 years.

    The list, which also contains the contact address and phone number of each missing girl, was said to have been verified by a 26-member Screening Committee that includes 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, Mohammed said that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on Tuesday relocated to Yobe State to personally superintend the search for the girls.

    He said that the Nigerian Air Force had earlier deployed more platforms to the North-East for the search, as the security agencies ramp up their efforts to locate and rescue the girls.

    “As at 6 p.m. on Monday, the NAF had flown a total of 200 hours while conducting the search,” Mohammed added.