Army unsure terrorists abducted schoolgirls in Yobe attack

The Nigerian Army

The militant group had invaded the school on Monday, February 19, 2018, and made away with loads of food items from the school, sending students and staff running into the bush for safety.

A head count of the students on Tuesday, February 20, had revealed that at least 94 schoolgirls are missing.

According to a report by The Punch, the spokesman of Operation Lafiya Dole, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, said the army is still waiting for the school management to provide the result of its roll call to determine if students are missing.

He further said that the army has moved into the town to secure it, and troops are still in pursuit of the militants that attacked on Monday.

He said, "The Dapchi incident is quite an unfortunate one. The information so far received is that the principal of the school had dispersed the students on hearing sporadic shooting before the insurgents arrived the school premises.

"Many of the students some of whom are indigenous had scurried to safety in different directions. So far no destruction of property or killing has been reported but there were cases of looting of food and provisions.

"Our troops have moved into the community and are on the trail of the insurgents.

"I will like to add that the attack on Dipcha is diversionary because of the heat being brought upon the insurgents by our troops in the ongoing operation Deep Punch II."

Yobe attack on all-girls school

According to accounts by residents, the terrorists invaded the town around 7pm in over 18 gun trucks mounted with high caliber weapons.

Their loud shooting alerted residents, school students and staff who ran to seek cover in the surrounding bushes as the school's food store was successfully raided.

Troops of the Nigerian Army later arrived to repel the attack, aided by military jets.

A school source told ThisDay that the militants targeted the students as they went into their hostel during the attack.

He reported that only 610 of the total number of 704 students had returned to the school when the head count was conducted on Tuesday.

It is unknown whether the girls are missing as a result of abduction by Boko Haram or have simply failed to return after fleeing from the attack, with some reported to have arrived at their homes safely.

The state's Commissioner for Education, Mohammed Lamin, disclosed that a team has been dispatched to the school to ascertain what happened.

"The team is profiling the students to know those who are missing, and how many of them were able to return or ran to their families at home," he said.

The school has been closed down pending investigations.