The Nigerian military is alleged to have had fair warnings of the movement of Boko Haram members long before the kidnap of the Dapchi girls. The girls, numbering over a hundred, were abducted from their school in a manner reminiscent of the 2014 abduction of the Chibok girls. This similarity stretched to the response of the government which, in both cases, first denied the occurrence of the event.
This allegation was made on Tuesday by the Amnesty International (AI). According to AI, security services in the region were called repeatedly between the 2pm and 6pm and told that Islamist fighters have been sighted in the area.
This was in addition to calls from Gumsa, a town bordering Dapchi, where the terrorists had stayed, warning Dapchi of the impending arrival of the terrorists, AFP reports.
The security operatives had taken the calls and the army command in Geidam stated that they are aware of the situation.
AI director (Nigeria), Osa Ojigho. said the Dapchi girls episode points to the fact that no lesson was learnt from the abduction of the Chibok girls. She said there is a need for an immediate probe to find reasons for the “inexcusable security lapses”.
“The government’s failure in this incident must be investigated and the findings made public — and it is absolutely crucial that any investigation focuses on the root causes,” she added.
“Why were insufficient troops available? Why was it decided to withdraw troops? What measures have the government taken to protect schools in northeast Nigeria?
“And what procedures are supposed to be followed in response to an attempted abduction?”
The federal government has vowed to negotiate for the release of the girls. This decision might well be playing int the hands of the terrorists who might have carried out the act for the probable ransom payments they would receive.
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