By The Atlantic Post
The Nigerian government is yet to determine the identity and number of kidnapped Dapchi girls 9 days after. Buhari’s National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno confirmed this on Wednesday while inaugurating a 12-man committee to unravel the circumstances leading to the kidnap of the school girls. He tasked the committee to unravel the actual number of abducted girls and also their identity. He described the abduction as an embarrassment to the country at large and expressed worry.
The NSA said in his statement that: “The committee is to determine the exact number of persons abducted alongside their identity as there is conflicting reports in this regard, to confirm the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security em-placed in Dapchi, as well as the school itself before the incident.”
He added:”The abduction of the school girls by the terrorists is a worrisome incident that requires deliberate, urgent and relentless efforts on the part of government. “There has been conflicting reports from various quarters on the event that led to the abduction, the number of persons abducted, as well as their identity. “This does not portray the country in good light. There have also been reports, especially in the social media which tends to support some level of inactivity by relevant organizations.” “Therefore, there is a need to verify the circumstances surrounding the abduction of these girls from the Government Girls Secondary School.”
According to him, “for the avoidance of doubt, I will quickly re-emphasis that the terms of reference of the committee are as follows: to determine the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the students from the school on the 18th of February.” Other terms of reference include “determining the exact number of persons abducted alongside their identity as there are conflicting reports in this regard, to confirm the presence, composition, scale and disposition of security em-placed in Dapchi, as well as the school itself before the incident.” They also include “ascertaining the existing communication in Dapchi and their functionality. “To suggest measures that can lead to the location and immediate rescue of the abducted girls. “To recommend measure to be em-placed in preventing future occurrences, any other detail the committee may deem necessary.”
Monguno added that “considering the importance of the issue and the urgency required to promptly address the terms of reference and associated concerns, you are to commence sitting immediately and submit your report to me in two weeks time.
However, outside government quarters, especially on social media, a lot of people believe that the Dapchi girls abduction was stage-managed to give some undue political advantage to the incumbent ahead of forthcoming general elections scheduled for February 2019.
Whatever the truth may be, the people of Dapchi cannot wait a moment longer before their girls are brought back safe and alive.
