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Omololu Ogunmade and Paul Obi in Abuja
With Nigerians and the rest of the world still reeling over another major abduction of schoolgirls in the North-east, the Nigerian Army and the Police Force Monday engaged in a blame game over the abduction last week of the 110 girls from Government Science and Technical Girls’ College in Dapchi, Yobe State by Boko Haram insurgents.
The army, in a statement issued Monday by the Deputy Director, Public Relations of the Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, Col Onyema Nwachukwu, described the statement by the Yobe State Governor, Dr. Ibrahim Gaidam, who had accused the military of withdrawing the troops from the town one week before the girls were abducted, as not only unfortunate but far from the truth.
It further explained that the troops were withdrawn on the premise that Dapchi had been relatively calm and peaceful, and the security of the town was formally handed over to the Nigeria Police Division located in the town.
According to the army, “The attention of the headquarters Theatre Command, Operation Lafiya Dole, has been drawn to a statement credited to Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, the governor of Yobe State, currently circulating in the media, in which he reportedly alleged that the withdrawal of the military was responsible for the recent suspected Boko Haram attack and abduction of female students from Government Girls’ Science Technical College in Dapchi. This allegation is not only unfortunate but also very far from the truth
“Although this headquarters will not attempt to join in any blame game, it is very expedient to set the records straight for the benefit of posterity. In carrying out its mandate to counter terrorism and the insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria, Operation Lafiya Dole has been alive to its responsibilities vis-a-vis the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents.
“Several communities and local governments that were hitherto under siege of the insurgents have been liberated and the insurgents pushed out. While troops continue to trail and decimate the remnants of the insurgents in the hinterlands, the security of the liberated communities and towns fall in the hands of the sister security agencies.Read full story.
