Exactly how many girls were abducted from the Government Girls Science Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State on Monday evening, February 19, 2018 by suspected terrorists?
The nagging question comes as conflicting figures of 50, 94, and 111 continue to be bandied around by government and independent sources.
As the confusion rages over the number of missing girls, President Muhammadu Buhari has apologised for the latest breach of the sanctity of a school and the abductions.
He said government would do all within its power to bring the girls home.
A statement by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu reads: President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the families of students reportedly abducted from the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, that no effort will be spared to bring succour to them.
According to the President, “When I received the devastating news of the attack on the school and the fact that the local authorities could not account for all the students, I immediately dispatched a high-level delegation on a fact-finding visit to the town. I also instructed the security agencies to deploy in full and not spare any effort to ensure that all the girls are returned safely, and the attackers arrested and made to face justice.
“The entire country stands as one with the girls’ families, the government and the people of Yobe State. This is a national disaster. We are sorry that this could have happened and share your pain. We pray that our gallant armed forces will locate and safely return your missing family members.
“Our government is sending more troops and surveillance aircraft to keep an eye on all movements in the entire territory on a 24-hour basis, in the hope that all the missing girls will be found.”
The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) has initiated a series of activities including sit-outs at the Unity Fountain in heart of Abuja to draw attention to the plight of the girls.
It also wondered how many girls were abducted from Dapchi. It said: “On that day, there were 926 students on the school roll. The following morning, different accounts of the missing female students were received ranging from 50 to 111 girls. Till now the exact number of missing girls remains unknown.
“It seems our government has refused to learn from the kidnappings of the #ChibokGirls, #EpeBoys, #BabingtonMacaulaySchool and #TurkishSchool.”
