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| Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau |
- Minister orders IGP, NSCDC
boss’ relocation to N’East
- Fishermen, farmers employed to
search for Dapchi girls
The
United Nations on Wednesday condemned the abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls in
Yobe State by Boko Haram insurgents, calling for their “immediate and
unconditional release.”
The
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a statement by his
spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said the UN would support the Federal
Government to fight terrorism and violent extremism.
The
UN Secretary-General said the Federal Government must bring those responsible for
the abduction to book and ensure the safe return of the schoolgirls to their
families.
The
statement read in part, “The United Nations Secretary-General has denounced the
abduction of more than 100 schoolgirls by suspected Boko Haram insurgents
during an attack on an educational institution in north-eastern Nigeria and
called for their safe return to their families.
“The
Secretary-General calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all the
missing girls. The UN chief also urged Nigerian authorities to swiftly bring
those responsible for the act to justice.
“Guterres
reiterated UN’s solidarity and support to the governments of Nigeria and other
affected countries in the region in their fight against terrorism and violent
extremism.”
Minister
orders IGP, NSCDC boss’ relocation to N’East
The
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, has directed the Inspector-General
of Police, Ibrahim Idris; and the Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security
and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu, to relocate to the North-East.
The
presidency disclosed this on Wednesday in a series of messages posted on its
Twitter handle, @NGRPresident.
According
to the message, the two security chiefs were asked to liaise with the Theatre
Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole as well as governors of the
affected states to ensure deployment of personnel to all schools in the
liberated areas in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states.
“The
minister said the directive has become necessary to forestall a re-occurrence
of the attack on innocent schoolchildren,” another message read.
Air
force creates command point in Maiduguri
The
Nigerian Air Force said on Wednesday that it was coordinating the air search
for the missing Dapchi schoolgirls from its base in Maiduguri, Borno State.
A
statement by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air
Vice-Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal
Sadique Abubakar, had relocated to the NAF Base at Maiduguri, from where the
air search operations for the missing Dapchi girls were being coordinated.
Adesanya
said, “This is in order to have first-hand information on the progress of the
air search efforts and to also give additional directives. The National
Security Adviser, Mohammed Monguno, was equally at the NAF Base, Maiduguri,
where he spoke to the personnel involved in the day and night air search
operations.
“Also,
the NSA said about 100 sorties have so far been conducted by NAF in the search
for the missing girls within a stated period.”
NAF
spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday that the number of sorties conducted
by the air force while searching for the abducted girls does not “equate the
number of aircraft deployed.”
Adesanya
said, “There had been reports that 100 NAF aircraft had been deployed to search
for the missing Dapchi girls.
“The
number of sorties does not equate the number of aircraft deployed.”
Fishermen,
farmers employed to search for Dapchi girls
The
military has employed the services of local fishermen and farmers in the search
for the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls, the head of counter-insurgency operation
in the North-East, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Rogers Nicholas, has
said.
Speaking
at the opening of a helipad, an office complex and residential quarters for
officers and airmen at the newly established 171 Nigerian Air Force Detachment
in Monguno, Maiduguri, by the National Security Adviser, Maj Gen. Babagana
Monguno, Nicholas said over 200 hours had been spent by craft in the
search for the girls.
He
added that the National Security Adviser and the Chief of Air Staff came down
to add value to the ongoing search for the schoolgirls.
He
said, “What this means is that nobody is sitting down. The government is
serious about rescuing the abducted girls. That is why the NSA is here to see things
for himself and add value to what we are doing.
“The
NSA has also introduced us to some local fishermen and farmers, who have very
good knowledge of the terrain. to work with us in terms of intelligence and
contribute to the search efforts.
“The
Nigerian Air Force has been airborne since the last three days and we will
declare additional platforms to do this exercise. Many areas have been covered;
over 200 hours have been spent flying and combing the whole theatre in search
of the girls.
“Additionally,
the ground forces are in various searching places identified.”
B’Haram
war now a business venture, says Fayose
The
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that some persons are using
the war against Boko Haram to loot the treasury.
He
noted that the fight against insurgency had become a business because those
benefiting from Internally Displaced Persons scams and payment of ransom (in
dollars) to free those abducted by the Boko Haram insurgents, among others,
would never wish to see the end of the insurgency.
The
governor described the alleged withdrawal of the military from Dapchi a few
days before the 110 pupils were abducted as a major pointer to possible
conspiracy.
He
wondered why no one had been questioned despite conflicting claims by the army
and the police.
In
a statement on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and
New Media, Lere Olayinka, Fayose said the withdrawal of $1bn from the Excess
Crude Account by the Federal Government was to fleece the country.
Fayose
said, “Painfully, it appears we will have to live with Boko Haram for a very
long time because waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government
to save Nigerians is a waste of time.
“They
boasted that Boko Haram will be defeated within three months; it is now more
than 30 months. All that they have told Nigerians is grammar – Boko Haram
technically defeated, Boko Haram completely defeated and now Boko Haram
completely degraded.”
“As
long as the fight against Boko Haram remains a business venture, providing
cheap money for top officials of this government, the insurgency will continue.
“President
Buhari must, therefore, look inwards and purge his government of those
benefitting from the insurgency if indeed he desires that it should end.”
‘It’s
sad Dapchi schoolgirls are abducted’
The
wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, has said it is unbelievable
that after the public outcry against the abduction of Chibok girls, more pupils
were still abducted.
She
noted that the abduction of 110 Dapchi schoolgirls was sad, urging the
authorities to rescue them.
Saraki,
who is also the founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, spoke on Wednesday
after a visit by her organisation to the Kwara State House of Assembly.
She
said, “No one will believe that we will still see another abduction of
schoolgirls again after all the sufferings, tears, lamentation and efforts
taken to rescue some of the Chibok girls. It is very hard to describe how I
feel as a woman and mother about the development.
“I
want to ask every Nigerian to be vigilant. If you notice that there are strange
faces in your community that were not there before, or somebody buying more
food than they buy normally, please contact the security authorities. The
sooner we can rescue them, the better for the humanity.”
Also,
a former member of the House of Representatives from Kwara State, Mr. Kola
Shitu, and the President of One Adult, One Youth Advocacy Group, Chief Lilian
Ogbole, have urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts for the safe
rescue of the Dapchi pupils.
Shittu
spoke during the fidau prayer of his late 96-year-old mother in the Offa Local
Government Area of Kwara State.
Shittu
said, “Security agencies should increase their efforts to ensure that these
girls are found and we are praying that God will support our military so that
the girls will be found.”
Ogbole,
who spoke during a rally by her group, said she was not satisfied with the
current efforts to rescue the missing girls.
She
appealed to FG and security agencies to intensify efforts and ensure that all
the girls were rescued unharmed.
B’Haram
not yet defeated –PDP
The
Peoples Democratic Party, Rivers State branch, has said the abduction of the
Dapchi schoolgirls is an indication that Boko Haram has not been defeated.
It
stated that contrary to the claim by the Federal Government that the terrorist
group had been decimated, members of the sect were still strong in the country.
The
Rivers State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Samuel Nwanosike, explained
that with the incident in Yobe, President Muhammadu Buhari had failed in his
pledge to protect Nigerians.
Nwanosike
spoke on Wednesday shortly after a pro-PDP group in Rivers State – Grassroots
Development Initiative – received hundreds of defectors from the All Progressives
Congress in the Ikwerre Local Government Area.
He
said, “The kidnap of the Dapchi girls is a proof that the FG has failed
Nigerians. This is a government that came out to tell the whole public that
Boko Haram had been defeated. Then who are these people that abducted these
girls? It means they government has failed.
“It
(kidnap of Dapchi girls) shows that the government of President Buhari has
failed in the promise they made to Nigerians that they would conquer and
completely destroy Boko Haram and any other organisation that portends danger
to the lives of Nigerians,” Nwanosike added.
IG
accuses govs of arming ‘security outfits’
The
Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Wednesday in Kaduna
accused state governments of arming illegal security outfits with pump action
and AK-47 riffles, warning that such would no longer be tolerated.
Idris,
who stated this at the Northern States Stakeholders Security Summit, also
disclosed that over 50 AK-47 rifles, 20 English pistols, Two SMG rifles,
over 1,000 rounds of ammunition were recovered from criminals across the
country.
He
noted that the recovery raised serious concern about the number of illegal arms
and ammunition at the disposal of criminals.
The
IGP directed all Commissioners of Police in the state commands and their
supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police to ensure the mop-up of
illegally acquired arms and ammunition in the country.
The
IG gave a 21-day ultimatum to persons in possession of illegally acquired
firearms to submit them.
He
said, “The police do not have power to issue licence for pump action guns and
other lethal weapons under the Firearms Act.
“Anybody
that is holding a pump action gun on the grounds that he has a licence from the
police is committing a crime.”
Don’t
be fear by anybody, FG tells Dapchi committee
The
National Security Adviser, Maj Gen Babagana Monguno (retd.), on Wednesday
inaugurated a 12-man committee to investigate the abduction of the Dapchi
schoolgirls.
The
NSA told the committee members, headed by Rear Admiral Victor Adedipe, that
they must not be “suppressed by any individual, group, organisation or agency
because we are not going to allow anybody to cover up anything in this matter.”
Monguno
said the committee had only two weeks to submit its report.
He
said, “The terms of reference of the committee are to determine the
circumstances surrounding the abduction of February 19; determine the exact
number of persons abducted and their identities; confirm the presence,
composition, scale and disposition of security in place in Dapchi and the
school itself before the incident. Another one is to ascertain the existing
communication in the Dapchi and its functionality.
“Also,
suggest measures that can lead to the location and immediate rescue of the
abducted girls.’
