Drama and joy over Dapchi girls
Joy returned to Dapchi town, Yobe State on Wednesday, 21 March 2018. Boko Haram returned105 of the 110 girls abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College on February 19. There is as yet no clear explanation on what happened to the remainder, even as the freed students said five of their mates died in the course of the abduction.
We rejoice with the Dapchi community on this good news. We are happy that it did not take long for them to enjoy once again the comfort of the girls in their families. We pray for the return of the remainder of the missing girls.
The Dapchi abduction and return are full of drama and lessons. It is a narrative that Nigeria and the international community will interrogate deeply for many seasons to come. We also hope that it would be the last of its kind.
The return of the abducted girls happened following three significant events. First, President Muhammadu Buhari finally visited the school on Wednesday, March 14. Buhari said he had directed the Nigerian Army and the Airforce to carry out full-scale aerial and ground surveillance of the vicinity to ensure the return of the girls. The president said Nigeria had chosen “negotiations” rather than the use of force to assure the safe return of the girls.
Before then, Mama Boko Haram, Aisha Wakil, stepped forward to confirm the seizure of the girls by the Barnawi faction of Boko Haram and their willingness to negotiate and return them. Aisha Wakil served in the Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges Committee set up by the last Government to tackle aspects of the Boko Haram challenge. Her announcement and offer came as the Federal Government reportedly extended the search for the girls to neighbouring Chad and Niger as well as Cameroun.
Some 48 hours before the return, international civil liberties organisation Amnesty International stepped into the matter by accusing the Nigerian Army of negligence and dereliction of duty in the case of the abduction. Amnesty pointedly accused the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police Force of deliberately ignoring the warning of the plans of Boko Haram to visit the community. The Army instead moved away a few days before the abduction.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria Office stated in a report of March 19that the military failed to respond when it was alerted to a convoy of Boko Haram heading towards Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State, in the afternoon of February 19. It said testimonies from credible sources indicated that the army and the police received multiple emergency calls up to four hours before the attackers reached Dapchi, but did not respond. “Evidence available to Amnesty International suggests that there are insufficient troops deployed in the area and that an absence of patrols and the failure to respond to warnings and engage with Boko Haram contributed to this tragedy, said OsaiOjigho, head of Amnesty International in Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army reacted with injured pride and considerable anger. Director of Army Public Relations Brig General John Agim denied the allegation and accused Amnesty International of deliberate falsehood and incitement of citizens against the Army. “It is pertinent to state that most of their narratives are outright falsehood and a calculated attempt to whip up sentiments and mislead unsuspecting Nigerians. To demoralise friendly nations and people collaborating with security forces to end the forces of evil in the North-East. For the avoidance of doubts, no security force was informed of Dapchi schoolgirls abduction as alleged by Amnesty International.”
Nigerians recall that at the time of the abduction, the Army and the Police engaged in a claim and counter-claim: the Army said it handed over to the Nigerian Police before leaving Dapchi in January and the Police said there was no such information or exchange.
Twenty four hours after the exchange between Amnesty International and the Nigerian Army, the Dapchi girls returned to their parents in a manner as dramatic as their abduction. Early photographs from the scene show each of the girls had luggage while the residents waved flags to the departing abductors.
Information Minister Lai Mohammed has claimed that the return of the girls was unconditional while other reports say Nigeria returned their soldiers to Boko Haram in return for the girls.
There are lessons in better management of the security of schools and public spaces in the North East. With so much money budgeted, Nigeria needs to ensure that schools are safe and enabling.UNICEF claims that since 2009 when Boko Haram insurgency started, “over 2,295 teachers have been killed and 19,000 displaced, and almost 1,400 schools destroyed.” Boko Haram seems to be winning the psychological war on the education of girls in the North East.
The Federal Government needs to do more to erase lingering doubts about the Boko Haram matter and these abductions. Too many aspects of the narrative do not add up. Even so, we rejoice with the Dapchi community and all Nigerians as the Dapchi Girls resettle into their communities.