It won’t happen again, Minister says on Dapchi girls

Information minister, Lai Mohammed says the federal government has put in place measures to avoid abductions like that of

The minister stated this after a meeting between a federal government delegation and representatives of key stakeholders, including the state government, the college, the parents, security agencies and Bursari local government, where Dapchi is situated, in Damaturu.

He said, based on the briefings from the Principal of the College, Hajia Adama Abdulkarim, and the state Commissioner for Education, Mohammed Lamin, 906 students - out of whom 110 have not been accounted for - were in the school on the day of the attack.

''We are back here in Yobe as part of efforts to provide some succor to the parents of the girls, to let them know that they are not alone and also to reassure them that we will not rest until we have found the girls. We will carry the parents along on the efforts we are making,'' he said.

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''We must get back the girls and also ensure that this does not happen again,'' the minister added

Committee to investigate Dapchi girls' abduction

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) in Dapchi, Yobe State, following the attack on the school by insurgents on February 19, 2018.

The committee was convened by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), according to a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Information minister.

The Committee, which will be chaired by a military officer of the rank of Major-General, comprises one senior Provost each from the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force; representatives of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA); Nigeria Police Force (NPF); Department of State Services (DSS); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); two representatives of the Yobe State Government and a representative of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The terms of reference of the Committee include ascertaining the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the girls, confirming the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security emplace in Dapchi as well as in GGSTC before the incident and suggesting measures that can lead to the location and rescue of the girls.

The panel, which is expected to submit its report on March 15, 2018, is also saddled with recommending measures to prevent future occurrence.The Committee will be inaugurated on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.