A Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Transparency and Good Governance, has commended the quick intervention of the Nigerian military in the abduction of over 94 schoolgirl from their school in Dapchi, Yobe state which led to their immediate rescue.
The group said as compared to the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls where the then government showed laxity in accepting that the girls were missing, the swift response of President Muhammadu Buhari and the military have ensured there was no hiding place for the abductors.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, national president of the coalition, Patriot Sabo Odeh described those behind the abduction as “political Boko Haram” who hope to make political gains from the abduction of the girls.
He therefore urged the military to be more vigilant, adding that the incident has proven that those benefitting from Boko Haram insurgency are yet to give up on their trade.
He described the abduction as an attempt by Boko Haram to relaunch itself. He however said Nigeria as a country must at this point respond to the terror group with disproportionate force
He said, “the attack on GGSTC Dapchi and the abduction of the girls is eerily similar to the abduction of the Chibok Girls in April of 2014, both being under one year to General Elections. It is however reassuring that the only similarity the two ugly incidents share is the timing.
“In terms of response, the dispatch with which the government at all levels and the Nigerian Army responded is remarkable. It is also noteworthy that stakeholders have been focused on solutions as opposed to engaging in blame trading.”
He appealled to all the relevant stakeholders to further intensify efforts at safely bringing back home the remaining girls in the coming hours so that their families can find relief.
He said, “We further appeal to anyone with information that will assist in locating the girls not to delay in sharing same with the military and security services.
“The expectation is that contractor activists and political jobbers will not exploit the situation of these families to their own selfish ends as was the case in the past. Nigerians should pray for these families and for the immediate return of the girls.
“We however want to task the government, the Nigerian Army with the other services of the military and the other security agencies to dispose of all niceties and crush all the remnants of the terrorist group without mercy.”
