Ezekwesili questions Buhari's silence over 94 missing girls in Yobe

Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has questioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army for their silence over the Boko Haram attack on Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School at Dapchi town in Bursari local government area of Yobe State, with 94 schoolgirls still unaccounted for.

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, has revealed that at least 94 schoolgirls are missing.

Ezekwesili, who's the co-convener of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, took to her Twitter account on Wednesday, February 21, to warn the president about the danger of handling the situation poorly.

She criticised the Federal Government for keeping the Nigerian public in suspense by not publicly addressing the issue.

She further warned that the government should be careful not to repeat the mistakes that worsened a similar situation when Boko Haram invaded Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and kidnapped 276 female students.

She posted, "God forbids that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army continued to keep the Public in suspense any further on what really happened two days ago at the Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State following a reported Boko Haram attack. Not again.

"God forbids that nothing was at all learned in all these years Chibok Girls on how FG should transparently engage the Public on matters like the allegations flying about on Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State after a Boko Haram attack.

"God forbids that we are indeed missing daughters who went to school once again. God forbids that anything resembling a re-enactment of the torture of the nearly four years of our Chibok Girls tragedy has happened to Nigeria. Ah. God forbids this evil in our land a second time.

"All one has done is wait on FG for official statement since late night Monday that news on Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State Boko Haram attack filtered into the public space. Sadly, as happened in the Chibok Girls tragedy, FG is ominously mum.

"Let me ask President Buhari's Aso Rock , 'Are you at all aware that it is being alleged that 94 daughters of Nigeria were abducted from the Boarding School - Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State after a Boko Haram attack? What's the fact?

"Nigerian Army, do you have facts on the allegations of abduction of 94 daughters of Nigeria from their Boarding School- Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State after a Boko Haram attack? Are you in strong pursuit of their abductors if true?

"When Chibok Girls tragedy happened on April 14, 2014 what impaired rescue action within first 48 hours for the 219 Girls was then FG shoddy handling on news of the abduction. Like I am doing now, one kept prodding their officials and the military for facts. Their reaction? Silence.

"From April 15, 2014 up until April 23 when one asked the audience at the UNESCO live broadcast Book Event; to stand in solidarity for the missing girls by asking our FG to bring them back, the uncanny silence continued. We tweeted and tweeted on this street. Silence. Ominously.

"As the then FG inauspicious silence continued on for more than 2 weeks, on April 30, 2014 we had mobilized through social media & email lists thousands of worried Nigerians to show up and MARCH in solidarity for the Girls. We adopted our already viral hashtag .

"In a few days from now on April 14, 2014 it would be four years since Chibok Girls tragedy and on April 14, 2014 it would be four years since that first protest MARCH of and daily sit outs and special marches for their rescue. 107 are back. 112 are not.

So, NO! God forbids that another 94 school girls are in fact abducted. Already, my spirit is sad & heavy burdened for families. I have not ceased praying since late Monday night that all the girls of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe are safe.

So, do please join me in asking President to speak up on the safety of all the girls of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi Yobe State after a Boko Haram attack on Monday, 19 February 2018."

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.