Dapchi Girls: One Abduction Too Many

On Monday, February 19, 2018, Nigerians woke up to another absurd tale, that school girls numbering up to 110 had been abducted from Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State by men suspected to be Boko Haram members. This abduction, coming after 1,414 days of the yet-to-be resolved abduction of over 200 Chibok girls in Borno State, has become another dark stain of worry in the annals of the country.
While the recent abduction in Yobe State can be described as one too many, it is, indeed, another major slap on the nation’s security make-up which appears to have no antidote to the re-occurring abductions and kidnappings in the country.
With over 100 Chibok girls still in the captivity of the Boko Haram, Nigerians, particularly parents and relatives of the abducted Dapchi girls, have been thrown into a situation of helpless despair, a similar nightmare the Chibok girls debacle brought on the country since 2014.
The anguish and trauma being suffered by the abducted girls in the hands of their captors and the emotional torture of their parents and loved ones can only be imagined.
Indeed, the latest abduction, without trace, has made nonsense of the claim by the Federal Government that Boko Haram has been technically defeated. In fact, the new twist can only be aptly described as the shame of a nation. That insurgents, under the guise of military uniform, invaded a Federal Government school in a security flash point area and abducted innocent school girls, aged between 11 and 18 years, in 11 trucks, can only be a tale in a forlorn land.
The Dapchi saga has, no doubt, called to question the competence of the country’s security network and its ability to effectively respond to national emergencies under the present administration. It is apparent that the ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the nation’s security apparatus is becoming more glaring by the day.
It is, indeed, sad that a country like Nigeria, touted globally as one with top notch security personnel and capability in Africa could so easily be beaten by a bunch of miscreants in the guise of insurgents without any resistance.
It is even more disturbing that insurgents can beat our security architecture in the North East, which over the years has been the nation’s worst flash point and where security ought to be at the highest point 24 hours. Moreso, it is lamentable that the country’s intelligence network could not pick up the scent of trouble or show the capacity to nip such in the bud, but only acted in reaction.
However, that the girls and their abductors have gone now for two weeks without trace raises a big question mark on the government and the ability of our often vaunted security agencies.
We regret that at a time that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government should have deployed all available machinery into an immediate massive manhunt to track down the abductors, the military, police and Yobe State Governor were instead allowed to be embroiled in claims and counter-claims on who should be held responsible for the national shame.
We think that the blame game and buck passing which has assumed the trade mark of All Progressives Congress (APC) government will only be counter-productive and must therefore, be stopped forthwith. The task at hand now and of immediate importance is the tracking and rescue of the abducted girls without further delay.
We are, however, a bit consoled that a 12-man high-powered body consisting of top military and police brass has been set up to unravel the circumstances surrounding the Dapchi school saga and how to rescue the abducted girls.
It is our belief that the body would not only do a thorough job but also in quick time so that the girls could be rescued before too much harm befalls them. Also, no attempt should be made to sweep the committee’s report under the carpet or allow it to gather dust.
While we expect better synergy among all arms of security and intelligence community in Nigeria towards rescuing the abducted girls and preventing re-occurrence, we demand that any officer or outfit found culpable should be brought to book. There must be no sacred cow.