Ebun Francis || Four days after suspected Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked and abducted some student’s from government girls Science and Technical college, Dapchi, Yobe State, the government still does not have the full picture of events that transpired on the school premises that fateful Monday night and the whereabouts of the missing girls.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, leading a federal government delegation to the state, on Thursday said the Nigerian government would need more time to assess the situation.
“On the issue of the number of missing girls, we cannot give what we are not sure of, until we hear from their parents, we cannot say this is the number,” Mr. Mohammed told reporters shortly after he arrived at Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Thursday afternoon. “Give us a few more time please”.
The minister arrived at the community with Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on Thursday afternoon and were received by Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Geidam, and the Theatre Commander, Operations Lafiya Dole, Major General Rogers Nicholas.
They were briefed by the governor and the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Damaturu.
After the briefing, the minister informed newsmen that he was delegated by the president to visit the attacked community and commiserate with the victims and to also to find out the true situation about the missing schoolgirls.
He said that it too early to determine the whereabouts of the missing school girls as some who fled to neighbouring towns and communities are still returning home.
The minister said, “We are still monitoring the situation and what I want people to understand is that since two days ago some of the students who fled to neighbouring towns and communities had returned and more have been returning.
“When we arrived here we have been briefed by the governor and the GOC about the situation of the students. We know there are few students who are yet accounted for, but we don’t want to manufacture stories on this issue. But give us few days, we will be able to tell you exactly the real situation of things.
“But you can see response of the military, the response of the state government is quite commendable. Since four days now we have been following the efforts being made to arrest the situation,” he said.
The minister described the attack by Boko Haram as the antics of a dying group craving media attention.
He said, “But we must understand that these are they dying days of the Boko Haram and what they intend to do is to embarrass the government because they have been degraded, they have been pushed out of Sambisa forest.
“They have been starved out of oxygen and the oxygen they feed on is publicity so that they can grab the world’s attention. But I can assure you that with the determination of our gallant military, the days of Boko Haram are numbered.”