By Pascal Oparada
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria has described the kidnap of students of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, as a national disaster.
In a tweet, Buhari assured the parents of the students that they would be rescued and the abductors made to face justice.
“I want the families of the girls yet unaccounted for at the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi to know that no effort will be spared to ensure that all of them are returned safely, and the attackers arrested and made to face justice,” Buhari said.
He said that the country stands with the parents and the people of Yobe State in this difficult times.
“The entire country stands as one with the families, and with the government and people of Yobe State. This is a national disaster. We are sorry that it happened; we share your pain. Let me assure that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return all the missing girls,” he said.
He further disclosed that the military had since been deployed in response and with aircraft surveillance.
On Monday, February 19, 2018, over 100 girls from Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State were abducted in a style reminiscent of the one four years ago where over 200 students were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.
There has been confusion over the rescue of the Dapchi students, with sources saying some of the girls had been rescued while others said they were not.
The issue was laid to rest when Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Geidam, said that the reports of the rescue of the students were false.
He said they relied on a source that otherwise would have been credible.
