Which security agency was responsible for the security breach that led to abduction of over 100 students from Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State last Monday?
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe did not mince words when he told journalists that the unexplained withdrawal of the military from the town was responsible for the suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ attack and abduction of female students from the school.
The Governor believed that the insurgents would not have succeeded or even come to town if the military had not withdrawn its troops days before the insurgents struck. But in a statement issued on Monday, the Army described the Governor’s claim as untrue.
Nevertheless, the Army agreed that its troops have been withdrawn from Dapchi at the time of the attack. But claimed it handed over the security of Dapchi to the Police when it withdrew soldiers from the town and redeployed them for reinforcement duty at Kanama following attacks on troops’ location at the Nigerian – Nigerien border.
“This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria Police Division located in the town. Troops’ redeployment was therefore done in tandem with the exigencies of operation and not as misconstrued,” Col Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations and spokesperson for Operation Lafiya Dole, the Nigerian military operations against insurgency in North east, said in a statement on Monday
But Yobe Commissioner of Police, Mr Sumonu Abdulmaliki in a statement also denied the claim of hand- over of security of Dapchi by the military.
“There was no time that the military informed the Police of their withdrawal, consult or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the Police,” Mr Abdulmaliki said in a statement.
“The statement by the Military of formal handing over of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police Division in Dapchi is not correct and untrue, as there was no time that the military informed the Police of their withdrawal, consult or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the Police.
“The whole of Yobe State is still under Security Emergency which the Police, the Military and other security agencies are battling to ensure lasting peace.
“Members of the public in Yobe State are implored to disregard and discountenance this claim that the Military formally handed the security of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police as untrue, unfounded and misleading.
“The Yobe State Police Command will continue to cooperate with other security agencies in ensuring safety and protection of lives and property of people of Yobe State,” the Police Commissioner added.