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Tag: schoolgirls

  • Schoolgirls released unconditionally, says Lai Mohammed 

    After days in Boko Haram custody, 104 pupils of the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi, Yobe state were yesterday released.

    A boy and another girls were also freed.

    The government put the figure of the girls abducted in the night of February 19 at 110

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the girls as saying that five of their school mates died on the day they were abducted.

    The girls were taken to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, from where they were flown to Abuja last night.

    The Federal Government said a total of 106 abducted persons, comprising 104 Dapchi schoolgirls, one other girl and a boy were freed by the insurgents early yesterday.

    Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed told reporters in Maiduguri that all the 106 persons were freed unconditionally –  contrary to reports in a section of the media that ransom was paid and that some insurgents were swapped for the freed persons.

    ‘’It is not true that we paid ransom for the release of the Dapchi girls, neither was there a prisoner swap to secure their release.

    ‘’What happened was that the abduction itself was a breach of the ceasefire talks between the insurgents and the government, hence it became a moral burden on the abductors. Any report that we paid ransom or engaged in prisoner swap is false,’’ he said.

    The freed persons were handed over to the Federal Government by the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas.

    They were handed over to the four-member Federal Government delegation at the Nigerian Air Force base in Maiduguri in the evening. The delegation comprised Alhaji Mohammed;  Minister of Interior Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau (retd.); Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hajia Khadija Bukar Abba Ibrahim and Hon. Goni Lawan Bukar, a member of the House of Representatives from Dapchi. The girls were flown to Abuja aboard a military transport plane.

    Mohammed said: “The girls were released unconditionally; no money changed hands. They only gave one condition –  that they would return them (the girls) to where they picked them from. So in the early hours of today (yesterday), they did return the girls and most of them went to their parents’ homes.”

    When asked about the boy among those released, Mohammed said: “I can tell you that is authentic. Whether they picked the boy or not, I can’t hazard any guess, but don’t forget even in a girls’ school, which is a boarding school, there will be parents; there are teachers who can have children among them.

    “The report we got is that one condition the insurgents gave was that they will be the ones to drop the girls and they dropped them in the early hours of this morning (yesterday).

    “Like I said in the statement released to you earlier, once violence and confrontation was ruled out and negotiation started, there was a deliberate pause on the part of the military. In other words, it was agreed that there will be no force, there will be no confrontation; that was why it was possible for them to drop the girls.

    “It was part of the agreement that we will release the girls, there will be no violence, no confrontation. And don’t forget that the lives of these children are much more important to us than any cheap victory.”

    On what the government is doing to prevent another abduction, Mohammed said: “If you remember, immediately this thing happened, Mr. President directed the security agencies, especially the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, to man every school. But, you see, we must look at this thing in context. If you look at other, countries like the U.S., Florida, you saw how gunmen entered the school and killed about 17 pupils. Insurgency all over the world is a global issue and the government must always be on its toes.

    “One of the things we have done today is that we have tried to secure the schools and there are even efforts on the part of government to even merge some schools, schools that are far flung.

    On the girls, the minister said: “Just as we did when we had the first set and second set of released Chibok girls, they will be quarantined and be psychologically counseled before they go back to their schools.”

    On whether the girls will likely meet Mr. President, he said “I want to guess ‘yes’, but I cannot say so. Things are still just developing.”

    Mrs Abba Ibrahim said: “I’m very excited today. I’m exhilarated, I’m happy.

    “We are very very happy. We have achieved what we had gone out to achieve and we thank the Almighty God for His mercy.”

    She declined to comment on the reported death of some of the girls.

    “As far as I know now, they are taking a roll call. So, we cannot ascertain how many have passed on, but we will find out later on what the casualties are.’’

    The minister advised parents not to be discouraged by the incident, but to encourage their female children to embrace education.

    “I will advise parents to continue sending their children to school.

    “We as a government will fortify the schools to make sure that they are safe for the children to actually go and learn,’’ Mrs Abba-Ibrahim said.

    Dan-Ali said: “Basically, I want to speak on the impression that people had that we cannot get the girls released. If you can remember the last interview I had with Channels Television, I said in two weeks, two months or less we are going to get the girls released and this has happened.

    “So this is as result of the efforts of Mr. President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces for the support he has been giving us and the output is showing now.

    “I did say even if you are going for negotiations if you are not doing so from the point of strength, then you cannot make it.”

  • Schoolgirls relive abduction ordeal

    One of the students, who was in the school during the abduction, Hafsat Lawal, recounted how she narrowly escaped the abduction.

    She said: “I was around when the students were kidnapped. I just came out of the bathroom when I heard gunshots. Initially, I thought it was an electricity transformer that exploded.

    “Nevertheless, I started running and I saw my sister too running. When I asked her why she was running, she said I should shut up and let’s run for our lives. So, I followed her and we ran towards the main gate.

    “We asked the gateman to open the gate for us. But he refused and told us that it was not safe outside. So we jumped over the fence and started running. We then saw some men in military uniform covering their heads with scarf. They asked us to come so that they would  rescue us.

    “But when we came close to them, we discovered that they were not real military men. Some of them were wearing slippers. So we changed direction and one of them started following us.

    “We jumped the school fence and came inside the school premises again. We then started running towards the staff quarters. The guy who was following us started shouting that we should stop or he would shoot us.

    “I disobeyed him and kept running. He then started shooting sporadically in the air. I am very sad that my sisters were kidnapped. In fact, I became sick because of the trauma of the incident.”

    Asked if she was ready to continue her education, she said: “I want to further my education, but not in this school.”

    Another student, Talatu Abubakar, said: “I feel very bad that they kidnapped my sisters. At first, I thought they ran into the bush the way we did. But after the incident, we could not find them.

    “There is nothing that will make me come back to this school because of what I saw. But, if the government can provide enough security in the school, I may come back.”.

  • UN demands release of 110 Dapchi schoolgirls

    UN demands release of 110 Dapchi schoolgirls

    Probe panel begins sitting

    Air Force explains action

    ‘Don’t withdraw pupils’

    The United Nations (UN) yesterday demanded that the abductors of the 110 pupils of the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State should release them immediately.

    Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he “very much hopes 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.”

    In a statement by his spokesperson, Mr Stephane Dujarric, Guiteres said he was gravely concerned over the situation.

    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 the 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”.

    Yesterday in Abuja, National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno inaugurated a 12-man panel to look into the circumstances leading to the kidnap of the girls, which he said  did not portray Nigeria in good light.

    Monguno said: “The abduction of the schoolgirls by the terrorists is a worrisome incident that requires deliberate, urgent and relentless efforts on the part of government.

    “There has been conflicting reports from various quarters on the event that led to the abduction, the number of persons abducted, as well as their identity.

    “This does not portray the country in good light. There have also been reports, especially in the social media, which tend to support some level of inactivity by relevant organisations.

    “Therefore, there is a need to verify the circumstances surrounding the abduction of these girls from the Government Girls Secondary School.”

    Monguno listed the committee’s terms of reference. They are:

    • determine the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the students from the school on the 18th of February;
    • determine the exact number of persons abducted alongside their identity as there are conflicting reports in this regard;
    • confirm the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security emplaced in Dapchi, as well as the school itself before the incident;
    • ascertain the existing communication in the Dapchi and their functionality;
    • suggest measures that can lead to the location and immediate rescue of the abducted girls; and
    • to recommend measure to be emplaced in preventing future occurrences, and any other detail the committee may deem necessary.

    “Considering the importance of the issue and the urgency required to promptly address the terms of reference and associated concerns, you are to commence sitting immediately and submit your report to me in two weeks, “ Monguno told the committee.

    He urged the members “to be objective in their findings in order to address this ugly development”.

    The NSA went on: “I must emphasis here also that there is a lot of cynicism outside in the wider society.

    “This is not the first time such incident has taken place. On the 14th of April, 2014, a lot of girls were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok.

    “A committee was set by the previous administration to look into the circumstances that led to the abduction of those girls.

    “What I want to emphasis to you is that this investigation has to be done with all the seriousness it deserves. This is not going to be another exercise in futility. We are using the money of tax payers to carry out this assignment and they are entitled to getting results for whatever this committee does.

    “Again, the inclination to push things under the carpet, to be sympathetic to groups or organisations will not be tolerated. You must unravel everything. Where people are culpable, it should come out in your report.”

    The NSA said “the report also will be followed by a white paper”. “The President is extremely concerned about this incident which I have already told you, is beginning to cast a dark shadow on not just the administration but the country.

    “The truth of the matter is that security is all-embracing. It is not just for agencies of government.

    “There is always an interface between the wider society and security agencies, especially in the context of the 21st  century issues of insecurity. This time around, your work is going to permeate into the population, not just in Yobe State, probably in Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe states and so on and so forth.”

    He added that “the basic motivation in this very exercise is to get result. I want results; this is not just going to be something theoretical, paper or suggestions that will end up on someone’s desk without anything happening.

    “We must let the people of Nigeria know that we have taken this incident with all the seriousness it requires and we are going to solve this problem.

    “I wouldn’t want a situation whereby you are going to be suppressed by any individual, any group or organisation or agency because we are not going to allow anybody to cover up anything in this matter.

    “These are people’s children, our children and we must be seen to be doing the right thing.”

    The chairman of the committee, Real Admiral Victor Adedipe, assured the NSA of the members’ commitment to ensuring that the findings are authentic and unbiased.

  • Fate of missing schoolgirls uncertain

    Fate of missing schoolgirls uncertain

    A Cloud of uncertainty was hanging yesterday on the fate of the girls reportedly abducted at the Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State.

    Parents demanded their return and the true situation of things from Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

    A big search for the missing girls, whose number is also unclear, has been launched.

    Gaidam met with the parents and the Dapchi community over  Monday’s  invasion of the town and the school by Boko Haram.

    It is believed that some of the girls might have been abducted by the insurgents.

    The mood at the meeting with the parents, who gathered at the palace of the emir, turned sour when the governor announced that the missing girls had not been rescued, contrary to a statement the state government issued on Wednesday  night.

    Many of them left the palace in anger, tears and sorrow.

    Some of the residents of Dapchi threw missiles at some of the vehicles in the governor’s convoy.

    One of the parents described the governor’s message as “hopeless”.

    “The message of the governor was clearly hopeless and full of lies. How can he tell us that he is not sure whether our children are missing or not, one of the parents said.

    It was unclear how many of the girls were receiving treatment either in  hospitals or had fled to neighbouring villages.

    Report rated the affected girls as “unaccounted for” since none of the factions of Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for their abduction.

    It was learnt that more teams had been deployed in the state to comb access routes to Sambisa Forest, Niger Republic and Chad for the girls.

    A source, who pleaded not to be named said: “The military, the security agencies and the police are still searching for the missing girls. We have not been able to rescue them. The number of missing girls is fluid because of the nature of the raid. But out of 926 girls, 815 have returned. We are talking of between 94 and 111 girls unaccounted for.

    “In view of the terrain of the area, it is difficult to assume that the unaccounted girls had been abducted.

    “In view of a similar incident in Chibok in 2014, certainly we are looking at the likelihood of a Boko Haram invasion. Since they have broken into two factions, we are unsure whether it is the camp loyal to Abubakar Shekau or Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi.

    “We are collaborating with member-states of the Multi-nation Joint Task Force (MNJTF) access routes to Sambisa Forest in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger Republic and Chad.

    “So far, you can depend on official statement by either the Federal Government or Yobe State Government.”

    The presidential delegation led by Defence Minister Manir Dan Ali is  in Yobe.

    Minister of  Information Lai Mohamed, a member of the team,  met with Gaidam at Dapchi.

    He told reporters at the school premises that Boko Haram was looking for oxygen to breathe having been pushed out of Sambisa and other fringes.

    On the number of girls missing, the minister said: “What we know as at today (Thursday) is that some of the girls are still unaccounted for. That is because some of them are still trickling back to the school,” the minister told journalists without giving the number of girls rescued or seen.

    “What we know for a fact now is we cannot account for some students but since two days ago students have been reporting back to school. We also have it on record that some of them have phone from their hiding place, some from Damaturu, some from other locations. But, as things develop we will let you know.

    But, we cannot categorically say ‘X’  number of students has been abducted but we can say not all students have returned,”  the minister said..

    He said the responses from the military and state government was commendable. “Since this thing happened, I’ve been in touch with the governor, the theatre commander and the GOC (General Officer Commanding).

    “I think we should take it in context, to me, the most authoritative position is the one given by both the governor, theater commander and the GOC. What we know is that some students cannot be accounted for. That is because some of them are still returning”, he added.

    The state government apologised for the statement issued on Wednesday night on the rescue of some of the abducted girls.

    Abdullahi Bego, the spokesman of the governor said: “The public may recall that we issued a statement last night in which we announced that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi who went missing after Boko Haram terrorists had stormed their school last Monday were rescued by officers and men of the Nigerian Army who are currently executing the war against the Boko Haram Insurgents.

    ”We issued the statement on the basis of information provided by one of the security agencies that is involved in the fight against Boko Haram and which we had no reason to doubt.

    ”We have now established that the information we relied on to make the statement was not credible. The Yobe State Government apologises for that.

    “His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam was in Dapchi today where he met with community leaders and the principal and staff of the Girls’ College. The governor also addressed the parents of some of the schoolgirls that are still unaccounted for where he told them to pray and exercise patience as the government and security agencies at all levels continue the work to address the unfortunate situation.

    “His Excellency Governor Gaidam has also directed Education Ministry officials and the school administration to work closely with the security agencies to establish the actual number of the girls that are still unaccounted for and to contact parents and the community for possible information that could be useful in the investigation.

    ”His Excellency Governor Gaidam shares deeply and personally in the grief about the unfortunate event at the Girls’ College and, under his leadership, the Yobe State Government will continue to do everything necessary in partnership with security agencies and the Federal Government to address the situation.”

  • Boko Haram ‘commander’: I led Chibok schoolgirls kidnap

    Boko Haram ‘commander’: I led Chibok schoolgirls kidnap

    ‘Sect’s factions ready for talks with Fed Govt on how to get Shekau’

    A member of the Boko Haram, Auwal Ismaeela, has confessed to leading the kidnap of 276 schoolgirls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April 15, 2014.

    The ‘commander’  confessed to the act in an interview with PRNigeria, a news agency.

    More than 100 of the girls are still being held by the insurgents after many of them were released in talks with the Federal Government.

    Ismaeela, who has surrendered to the military, also told the news agency that he led other major operations and said he regretted his actions.

    The PRNigeria report said: “Ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid-Kabir coming up by the weekend, a top Boko Haram commander who played a major role in the abduction of Chibok girls and killing of youths in Madagali has surrendered and confessed to several acts of bloodletting on innocent people and destruction of properties across the length and breadth of the North-eastern part of the country.

    “In an interview with PRNigeria at a military facility for the repentant and surrendered Boko Haram members in the Northeast, the ex-terrorist leader said he regretted the atrocities he was forced to commit against humanity.

    “The commander, Auwal Ismaeela, is currently cooperating with the Nigerian military with useful information on locations and hideouts of other top commanders of the deadly sect. He regretted his actions which, according to him, run counter to several Islamic injunctions.

    “Mr. Ismaeela encouraged other top commanders of the sect to surrender to the military.

    “Myself and Abu Hafsat, a Boko Haram commander, led other squads to abduct the Chibok girls. We led the operations to invade Gwoza, Bama, Limankara mobile barracks, Bita, Bosso, Madagali, Chibok, Pulka, Firgi, and Mubi.

    “In Madagali, which is my home town, myself, Adam Vitiri, Abu Adam and Habu Kudama, some high-ranking Boko Haram commanders, led an operation in 2014 where we killed some students and youths at the Central Secondary School in Sabon Garin Madagali.

    “In one of the operations, I abducted my wife named Maryam who had two kids for me in Sambisa Forest. It is unfortunate that I was brainwashed and misled not only on some abductions but in the killings of my own people that were innocent. I wholeheartedly regret my actions.

    “During a battle in Konduga where myself and other Boko Haram commanders led the operations, I lost my right leg and was almost got burnt. Even at that, I did not stop fighting for the course. Sheikh Shekau ordered that I should be given a tricycle which I continued to use for various operations before I eventually surrendered.”

    He was reported to have given several reasons for his decision to voluntarily surrender to the troops after realising the misleading sermons, barbaric indoctrination of the sect leaders and atrocities being committed in some of the Boko Haram camps.

    Ismaeela said: “I willingly surrendered to the military because I was tired of the senseless killing and fight. I realised that our people had resorted to stealing and all sort of atrocities contrary to the teaching and practice of Islam.

    “Women were being raped, sometimes publicly. Children died from malnutrition and diseases as the living condition became harsher. As there was no food in the camp, people died every day because of hunger.

    “I will continue to cooperate with the security agencies in providing useful information on our mode of operations and to disclose top-secret hideouts of our commanders.”

    More than 100 Boko Haram fighters and some ‘commanders’ had in the recent past surrendered to the military, knowing full well that their actions had become inimical to the overall interest and well-being of the nation and the surrounding countries of Cameroon, Niger and Chad.

     

    ‘Boko Haram factions ready for talks with govt’

    Two factions of the Boko Haram insurgency group may be ready for talks with the Federal Government, Abdulkadir Abubakar, a former ‘commander’ of the group has claimed.

    Abubakar, also known as Abu Muhammad, was the chief intelligence officer of the Boko Haram group and one of its top commanders, until his arrest in June by the military in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

    Abubakar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at his cell in Maiduguri that Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were willing to cooperate with the government to defeat the most visible leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.

    According to him, Shekau, whose capture, dead or alive, the military high command has ordered, has been the major obstacle to peace, since the insurgency began in 2009.

    He was quoted as saying: “Shekau is not willing to surrender due to his high handedness. Unfortunately, the government and military authorities accorded priority on dealing with Shekau, who is blood thirsty.

    “Albarnawi has indicated interest to dialogue with the government to end insurgency and provide a lasting solution to the crisis. Albarnawi discusses this with members of his circle. And I can assure the government that he would cooperate to achieve peace.

    “The two factions are willing to cooperate with Nigerian Government to defeat Shekau.”

    Abubakar’s claim about the readiness of the factions to dialogue with the authorities could not be verified as he had been incarcerated since June. But he insisted that the groups were predisposed to a peaceful resolution of the eight year-old crisis.

    Abubakar claimed to have undertaken various espionage missions and provided intelligence to the insurgents, which enabled them to hit a long list of targets, among which were the abduction of 276 students at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok and the massacre of students at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi.

    Over 20 students were murdered at Buni Yadi.

    He also claimed to have been involved in other attacks on schools in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Postikum and Mamudo.

    He said: “Shekau has left his enclave in Sambisa and moved deep into Mandara Mountain.

    “The intensified military offensive has weakened Shekau’s position and that of the other groups.”

    Abubakar claimed  that the Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were opposed to Shekau’s leadership style.

    Abubakar said: “During the early days of the insurgency we fought for what we thought was a just cause, to establish a caliphate where human beings are valued, cherished and respected.

    “After annexing vast territories, Shekau began to demonstrate his cruelty and atrocities against humanity.

    “In view of the high level atrocities committed by the group,some of the top commanders, including myself, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur, challenged Shekau, demanding an immediate end to the ugly saga.

    “Thereafter, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur parted ways, and formed their groups. Shekau is responsible for suicide bombings and attack on soft targets in the Northeast.

    “The Albarnawi and Mamman Nur groups never attacked schools, religious places of worship, markets, women and children. Our fight was strictly with security forces. Even the kidnapped oil workers would not be killed by the group.

    He said: “Shekau is fond of using the girls and other abducted women as sex toys, and suicide bombers. He kills on the pretence of punishing for lies, theft and rebellion. Shekau kills without justification.

    “Shekau arrogated to himself the powers to accuse, prosecute, convict and punish in total contradiction to Islamic teachings. Children and women also starved to death in Sambisa due to Shekau’s cruelty.”

  • Chibok schoolgirls hail Trump at White House

    Chibok schoolgirls hail Trump at White House

    Two of the Chibok schoolgirls, who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014, Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, read a letter hailing United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump during a visit to the White House on Tuesday.

    The White House released more photos of the girls at the weekend, claiming that during their visit, Joy and Lydia “read the President a letter about their experience”.

    On the night of April 14, 2014, Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno.

    An excerpt of the letter is below: “Mr. President, we urge you to keep America safe and strong.

    “We know that some people are trying to discourage you.

    “Do not be discouraged. You are right to keep American safe and strong.

    “Not only for America. But for the world.

    “If America is not safe and strong, where can people like us look for hope, when there is danger?

    “Finally, we urge you to keep making America prosperous.”

    Trump and his daughter Ivanka hosted the Chibok schoolgirls during their visit, the White House said.

    The Boko Haram insurgents broke into the school and kidnapped the girls, who were sitting for their final exams.

    “But approximately 50 of the girls have escaped, including Joy Bishara and Lydia Pogu, who visited President Donald Trump, and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, at the White House last Tuesday.

    “The girls are recent graduates of Canyonville Christian Academy in Oregon, and they were accompanied by the school President, Doug Wead.

    “The President and Ivanka were both deeply moved by the girls’ visit,” the statement by the White House read.

    The Chibok schoolgirls’ visit coincided with the U.S. State Department’s release of its annual Trafficking in Persons Report.

    “In the wake of the report, the two Chibok schoolgirls’ visit to the White House was a reminder that the survivors of the scourge of human trafficking are heroes whose courage can inspire us all,” the White House said.

    “Let us recommit ourselves to finding those still in the shadows of exploitation, and let us celebrate the heroes who continue to shine on the darkness of human trafficking.”

  • Kano opens summer camp for 10, 000 schoolgirls

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has launched the ‘School in Bag, Kano Summer Camp Academy’ for 10,648 girls in public schools.

    The initiative is geared towards encouraging girls’enrolment into schools in the state, the government said.

    Ganduje, who spoke during the launch of the programme, lamented that a significant number of girls had dropped out in the state.

    “The aim of this project is to address the challenges of gender imbalance, and transition from primary school to junior secondary school (JSS); and more importantly to support the process of improving our girls’ performance by creating a platform for additional coaching during vacation.

    “Under the programme, the girls will be coached and tutored on basic literacy, numeracy and social courses, in addition to being given bags containing two sets of uniform and assorted study materials, as a measure to enhancing their chances of successfully passing the transition exam and preparing them to confront the academic demands at the basic stage.”

    Ganduje continued: “It is evident that the survival rate of girls from primary One to Five was 73 per cent, whereas the dropout rate for girls when they reach Primary Six was 50 per cent as at last year. These indicators are a signal of low transition rate into JSS. Consequently, the annual school census of 2015/2016 confirmed that only 46 per cent of girls transited from primary school to JSS.”

    He noted that aside cultural factor, most of the challenges associated with the low transition and dropout rate are linked to education demand and supply problems, adding that his administration would continue to do its best to address the lacuna.

    Ganduje’s deputy, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, hinted that the programme was being financed from hitherto idle funds under the DFID conditional cash transfer scheme for female students in the state.

    “Because of several incentives put in place by the Ganduje government and its development partners, the enrolment figure for girls in public schools is almost at par with that of boys,” said Abubakar who is also the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology.

    Abubakar added that the major challenge was to ensure that the girls that were admitted were retained in the schools until they complete secondary education.

    Representatives of DFID and ESSPIN, Malam Iliyasu Adamu and Fatima Aboki, praised the government’s sponsoring the academy which, according to them, would wrap up activities in Nigeria in January, next year.

    The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya ‘Yardada Maikano, represented by Hajiya Ladidi Sani Fagge, appealed to governments to increase the number of girls in science secondary schools to expand access of the girl-child to science education.

  • Why has the world forgotten our missing schoolgirls?

    Why has the world forgotten our missing schoolgirls?

    In this article published by Newsweek yesterday, founding members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, Oby Ezekwesili and Aisha   Yesufu, blame the world for the girls’ fate.

    Do you remember those 276 schoolgirls of the rural Chibok community in northern Nigeria that were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists 730 days ago on April 14, 2014?

    The vast majority of them are still not back. Not one has been rescued since we all cried out for justice for them—57 escaped of their own volition, but none have been freed by Nigerian military efforts.

    You may have occasionally read of the rescue of hundreds of women from former enclaves of terrorists in Nigeria, but those were not the Chibok girls. Those were other girls and women that we were never even told had been missing, and who may never have been rescued were it not for the pressure mounted for the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls.

    Neither the Nigerian government nor the rest of the world that initially echoed our agonizing chant—#BringBackOurGirls—has done what it takes to fulfil that demand. Freeing them from the terrorists’s grip requires prioritized, sophisticated and sustained rescue operations of the kind that only governments can provide. And that is where we have failed them, because despite all that flurry of chants and protests, the reality is that the arduous work of actually locating and rescuing the girls is falling short. As we write, 219 potential Malala Yousafzais are still languishing in the terrorists’s den.

    In May 2014, the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls resounded across the world. Citizens and political leaders across the globe—from U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama to British Prime Minister David Cameron —were riveted by this tragic story of young women who were kidnapped from their school compound, where they had turned up to write their final high school exams. If they had completed their certification exams and passed, some would by now be in their second year of university, technical or entrepreneurship education that would improve opportunities for their extremely poor families. It is still the case that education remains the best tool of social and economic mobility for individuals and societies. For the girls and people of Chibok, however, that dream has so far been cut short.

    The previous government of Nigeria mismanaged the rescue plan for the schoolgirls. Political considerations clouded its understanding of the primary responsibility of every government—to secure its citizens. It took three weeks and after a global groundswell of advocacy for the girls before that government was finally compelled to admit that tragedy had indeed befallen schoolchildren it should have protected in the first place.

    Even then, its response subsequently was extremely slow and tentative. Countries like the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France and others with superior anti-terrorism capabilities had swiftly offered help and sent military, security and intelligence teams to help locate and rescue the girls. The Nigerian government and the military in particular were, at that time, visibly non-cooperating hosts.

    Nigeria has now had a new government since May 2015, but the girls remain in the clutches of their terrorist captors despite all the promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari. Why? The president admitted in his maiden media chat on December 30 that he had “no firm intelligence” on the whereabouts of the girls. This statement was a devastating blow to the parents of the abducted girls. The disappointment was deepened when we recalled how, after our first meeting with President Buhari in July 2015, the same parents were brimming with optimism. The president had convincingly assured them that he would rescue their daughters.

    What exactly does a lack of credible intelligence constitute? Are we to believe that the capabilities of Nigerian security institutions have been so eroded that they are unable to gather any information on the girls’ whereabouts? In finding answers to these numerous questions, our movement recalls that the Chibok girls do not only belong to Nigeria. Our girls were, and should, remain global citizens. Even if their government fails them for whatever reason, the world ought not to do the same.

    The successful abduction of the schoolgirls from a region that was under emergency military rule already pointed towards poor governance and anyone who has followed Nigerian affairs knows that in its 55 years of independence, our country has struggled to entrench good governance. Even if such poor governance has led to an inability of Nigerian institutions to generate the kind of credible intelligence needed to locate abducted citizens, we believe that the international community’s intelligence assets must now be activated to find our Chibok girls.

    There is no way we can accept the excuse of “lack of firm intelligence” in a profoundly integrated world that recognises the victory of terrorists in one country as a potential victory in several others. Such a reason is inadequate and an embarrassing response for the girls that have been missing for more than two years. For the few of us that are the untiring remnant of what was once a large global network of people, there is no moving on until there is closure. Positive closure.

    Our Chibok girls voted for knowledge, believing the benefits that learning held for them and their families. They must not be abandoned by a world that seems to have so quickly moved on after raising a sign of empathy and hope for them. It would be a terrible way to encourage the 63 million other girls that we must get into schools all over the world.

    Our belief that the Chibok girls can still be rescued is anchored on unfailing hope. Our audacious hope has been buoyed by the rescue so far of more than 3,000 previously unknown abducted Nigerian citizens. These were children, girls, boys, women and men that we had never known were captives of Boko Haram until their rescue—which partly came about as a result of the pressure we mounted on our government concerning the Chibok girls. Our girls have become a symbol for all other victims of terrorism in Nigeria in a particularly wondrous way—while still in captivity, they have helped secure freedom for others.

    Nigeria and the rest of the world must act to find the girls. Everything must be done to secure their freedom from the forces of darkness and militant extremism. Rescuing our girls from Boko Haram will be the strongest way for the world to push back forcefully against their attacks. It was knowledge that our girls went to school to acquire and were forcefully taken as captives for. We must fight to get them back, for in so doing, we preserve our civilization.

    It is now time for all—especially leaders like President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Cameron—who raised the #BringBackOurGirls sign to engage with President Buhari and act for results. Gather all intelligence assets necessary to locate our girls. Make the tough choices of the lowest risk option of rescue. Sustain the rescue operation. Now is the time to—without any further delay—to bring our girls back.

  • Western govts ‘knew where Chibok schoolgirls were’

    Western govts ‘knew where Chibok schoolgirls were’

    Both the British and United States (U.S.) governments knew where some of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram members from Chibok but felt powerless to launch a rescue mission, it has been reported.

    More than 200 girls have remained missing since 2014 when they were kidnapped by the terrorist group from a boarding school in Chibok while preparing for end-of-year exams.

    Although 57 of the 276 girls managed to escape, the rest have not been seen since May 2014, when they appeared in a video reciting verses of the Koran.

    But a former British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, has said that a large group of the missing girls were spotted but the governments felt any rescue attempt was risky.

    He told The Sunday Times: “A couple of months after the kidnapping, fly-bys and an American eye in the sky spotted a group of up to 80 girls in a particular spot in the Sambisa forest, around a very large tree, called locally the Tree of Life, along with evidence of vehicular movement and a large encampment.

    “A land-based attack would have been seen coming miles away and the girls killed, an air-based rescue, such as flying in helicopters or Hercules, would have required large numbers and meant a significant risk to the rescuers and even more so to the girls.

    “You might have rescued a few but many would have been killed. My personal fear was always about the girls not in that encampment — 80 were there, but  250 were taken, so the bulk were not there. What would have happened to them? You were damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

  • How we planned, executed Lagos schoolgirls’ kidnap

    How we planned, executed Lagos schoolgirls’ kidnap

    PARADED by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Special Intelligence Response Squad (IGPIRS) Team, three of the suspects, who recently abducted secondary school girls in Ikorodu, spoke to The Nation, giving graphic details of how they planned and carried out the operation.

    Kidnap would have fetched me N5m, says first suspect

    “My name is Omoni Fred Rufus. I am from Ese Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. I am 32-years-old and I left secondary school in 2002, and I went into sawmill business. I was born in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State. My father is a wood logger, while my mother is a fishmonger. I sell most of my wood at Ebute-Meta and I have never done anything criminal until last January.”

    On his involvement in the kidnap of the girls, he said: “One of my friends, known as Bamidele, whom I have known for a long time, called me and said he had a job for me. This person I am talking about was arrested last year, and was charged to court for kidnapping and remanded in Ogun State prison.

    “When he was released in January, he called me and said that one of his friends, who he said he met in prison, called and told him that he had a job for him. He said he wanted me to be part of the operation because I had a car. I asked him what kind of job it was and he told me that it was kidnapping, and that his friend who he identified as Gay, would like to meet him and me so that we can arrange the operation.

    “We met him the next day at a petrol station on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and when we met Gay, he told us that the man we were to kidnap was very rich and he was going to bring three more boys who would assist us. Gay explained that he was going to monitor the man’s movement and then he would alert us to his position to enable us kidnap him.

    “The next day, I was in the same filling station with Bamidele, and Gay came with some boys and later left, but some few hours later, he called and gave us the description of the man’s car and his location, and when we sighted the car matching the description, we double-crossed the car and abducted the man.

    “We took the man in my car into a forest along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and I left him with Bamidele and others and went home. Four days after, Bamidele called me and said that the man had been released and the sum of N2.5 million was paid as ransom. He told me that my share was N200, 000 and that I should meet him at Ikorodu for the money.

    “I was at Ibeju-Lekki when he called, and l left what I was doing and hurried to Ikorodu and met him in a fast food joint. He was with someone when I came in and that person introduced himself as Tradition. He is also from my hometown in Arugbo, just like Bamidele. I gave him N1, 000 from my share of the ransom, and he took my phone number and promised to call me.

    “I also wish to remind you that two weeks ago, he called me that they had a kidnapping job and that it would not be stressful and it would fetch a huge sum of money. I asked him how much I should be looking at, and he said I could likely get N5 million as my share if we succeeded. My car had gear box issues and I took it for repairs at Ladipo Spare Parts Market in Mushin. I took a commercial bus to Ikorodu.

    “When I met Tradition, he took me to Lamienmu who he said brought the job, and we met him and nine others on the Imota Bridge. They took me to the bush where they said we would keep the victims, but I wasn’t pleased with the arrangement.  Surprisingly, there was nothing on ground and Lamienmu begged that we should bear with him. From that point, we moved to the school in four speedboats. Those who had guns came from the creek in Fatola, and when we got to the school, including Tradition and Lamienmu, we entered the school. Some others and I stood by the fence, waiting.

    “When they brought one of the girls, I carried her into our boat and stayed with her. Others came later with the two other girls and when we went into the creek, we made wooden rafts for the girls to sleep and I slept inside one of the boats. The guys with the guns were on guard all through. Next, Lamienmu and Tradition interrogated the girls. One of them told us that her father was an engineer, while another told us that her father was a pastor.

    “We took their parents’ phone numbers from them, and Tradition and Lamienmu called them (the parents) and demanded N200 million as ransom. After that, the girls told us that they were hungry. We asked what they wanted to eat and they told us that they wanted Viju Milk, Lacasera and Indomie.

    “Lamienmu’s younger brother, Gideon, was asked to go to town and get them. He went and came back safely, but three days later, when the things he bought got finished, he went into town and came back with the news that policemen were everywhere looking for the girl. The camp became apprehensive with the news and we started contemplating how to release the girls quietly.

    “At a time, we reduced our demand to N30 million. By Saturday, we saw Lamienmu’s father creeping into the camp. The guys with guns almost fired him, but what saved him was that he yelled that he was Lamienmu and he was allowed to come closer to be identified. He told us that the police had arrested his wife, Lamienmu’s sister and Tradition’s wife as well, but Lamienmu insisted that we must release the girls or he would kill himself.

    “When he left, the camp was thrown into confusion, and when it settled, we all agreed that we should allow the girls to go. By 5:00a.m. on Sunday, Tradition and four others took the girls out of the camp and dropped them off. I waited till the next day before leaving the camp, and when I came out, I went to Ladipo and checked the mechanic who was working on my car, gave him some money and I went back into the creek.

    “However, I had this feeling that the police were looking for me. By Thursday, the mechanic called and said he had finished with my car. Then I decided to pick it up and drive out of Lagos. When I got to Ladipo, I didn’t see the mechanic. I called him and he said he was at Iyana Ipaja, washing the car. When I got there, the police showed up and arrested me and accused me of being part of the gang that abducted the schoolgirls.

    “But like I have told you, I am not a vandal. I work in a sawmill in Ibeju-Lekki, but it was Tradition who brought me into this business.”

    We went from pipeline vandalism to kidnapping – second and third suspects

    The second and third suspects, Wekemei Godfrey, 28, from Arogbo, Ondo State, and Priye Pius Gift, 26, who were both arrested in Mosebolatan Guest House in Ibafo, Ogun State, through one of their girlfriends, said they were pressured into joining the gang.

    Godfrey confessed that Tradition, who is also known as Felix, recruited them. Narrating how he joined the gang, he said: “I started my life as a fisherman in Delta State and later relocated to Akwa Ibom State. I was exporting Afang leaf to Cameroon and I was making a reasonable amount daily from the business. One day, I met Priye Pius and Tradition, and since we were all from the same town, we became friends. After a while, Tradition left us and went to Lagos, while Pius and I continued our business.

    “Early last year, we started having issues with some militants while crossing into Cameroon. The militants were demanding so much money and when we didn’t give it to them, they normally destroyed our goods. Things worsened. Luckily, Tradition came and told us that fuel business was fetching him serious money in Arepo, and that we should come and join him. We immediately followed him to Lagos and he bought 100 50-litre jerry cans for both of us and we started going into the creek to fetch petrol from the pipelines.

    “We normally paid the vandals controlling the line between N5, 000 and N10, 000, and they usually allowed us to load our jerry cans. Later, we took the jerry cans to shore and sold them for N1, 000 each to Tradition who would resell to other people. We did this business until there was massive explosion at the site that killed so many people.

    “Pius and I were just lucky. On the night that the incident happened, we decided to take a little rest from work. By 2:00a.m, we heard the massive explosion by morning, but when the fire died down, I went into the creek and assisted in the burial of those who were killed. I had a rethink of that business because of what I saw.

    “Pius and I left Arepo and relocated to Majidun, and started doing bamboo business. We normally went into the forest to cut the bamboo and we used to sell them to people dredging sand, and they paid us between N25, 000 and N30, 000 but the problem with that business was that we didn’t sell all the time. Three weeks ago, Tradition came to our place here in Majidun and he told us that he wanted to take part in a kidnapping business. I told him that I wasn’t interested because I had no one to help me if we were arrested.

    “However, he pressured Pius and I but we refused, and he went with some other guys and they didn’t succeed. He came to us again and said that the reason why they didn’t succeed was because they didn’t have enough manpower. He told us that the business was going to fetch us good money, and because we are his friends, he would want us to take part in it. I accepted reluctantly, and by evening of the day we were to go for the operation, I told my girlfriend that I was going to spend some time with some of my brothers. Pius and I met Tradition at the agreed spot, and we went to the creek and from there, we drove to  the school in three speedboats.

    “At the scene of the operation that fateful day, Pius and I stood by the fence watching for anyone approaching. After they had abducted the girls and taken them to the forest, Pius and I prepared the raft and left. We were also the ones taking them to defecate whenever they were pressed. You can confirm from the girIs whether I was nice to them or not. If you ask the girls, they will tell you that Pius and I were very nice to them.

    “We were also part of the team that went and dropped them. We took them under the bridge and gave them money, and asked them to climb on the bridge and seek help. When we left the camp, I called my girlfriend to be careful because I had done something nasty and she should watch her movement because the police might come for her or me. I later told her to meet me at the hotel where I lodged in Ogun State because I thought it would be difficult for the police in Lagos to trace us to that place. But I don’t know how they arrested my girlfriend, and she brought them to the hotel where I was lodged and they arrested me.”