The
schoolgirls who were abducted from Dapchi a month ago have returned home. Five
didn't make it alive.
The Dapchi schoolgirls
who were abducted on February 19, 2018 by Boko Haram terrorists, have returned
home.
Five of the 110 girls died in Boko Haram
custody,was learnt, implying that only 105 returned to Dapchi. The number of
the returned Dapchi girls have not been confirmed.
It's been a month since the Dapchi girls were kidnapped from their school hostel.
According to Sahara Reporters,
the terrorists arrived Dapchi with the girls in 9 vehicles; same way they had
taken them away.
"There was confusion in the area as members of the community
scampered into the bush as the terror group appeared in the area, first
dropping off one of the girls in a nearby village and then driving into the
center of Dapchi town to drop off the rest of the girls. Five of the girls are
dead according to our source. It is not clear if the Nigerian government paid
any ransom to get the girls released", the Sahara Reporters
statement read.
BBC
correspondent, Stephanie
Hegarty writes that; "Initially called scared, people were
fleeing. Then they saw the girls in a big vehicle. Unclear whether Boko Haram
militants exited town yet.
"Confirmed from several sources. Girls have been returned to
Dapchi".
On
March 17, 2018, Defence Minister Mansur Dan-Ali, promised that the girls
were going to be released soon.
"It can be earlier; maybe a week, it can be two weeks, but we
are on it, and I’m telling you with all sense of sincerity that we are closing
in on them", Dan-Ali had said.
The Nigerian presidency has also
confirmed the return of the girls.
No
rest
On a visit to Yobe State on March
14, 2018, President Buhari had vowed that he won't
sleep until the girls return home to their parents.
“I am here in Yobe State today,
to express my sincere sympathies with the parents, families, the government and
the entire people of Yobe State whose daughters were callously abducted by
unrepentant terrorists.
"Since this ugly incident happened, I have not left any stone
unturned in making sure that the girls are rescued. I have ordered the Service
Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and
brief me on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls".
Buhari also said he was going to negotiate for the return of the girls.
"Furthermore, the government is partnering with the
International Community and organizations including our neighbours to ensure
that these girls are safely returned. Just recently, I reiterated our resolve
to negotiate for the unconditional release of the girls. This is borne out of
this administration’s conviction that, doing so is safer devoid of risks and
will not endanger the lives of our young girls who are in harm’s way.
"There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from
Chibok and Dapchi, is released. The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy
unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations,” President Buhari had said.
The kidnap of the Dapchi schoolgirls mirrors the abduction of 276
from Chibok on April 14, 2014.
The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) advocacy
group has been clamouring for
the rescue of Dapchi and Chibok girls and other captives in
Boko Haram custody.
Over 164 Chibok girls
have so far returned home following negotiations between the federal government
and the terrorists; with 112 still in Boko Haram custody.
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