The military troops who were stationed at the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, where 26 schoolgirls were kidnapped, are now being questioned at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
According to Saturday PUNCH, a reliable high-ranking government official told one of our reporters that the DHQ had started looking into the unexpected pullout of military soldiers from the school just before the kidnapping.
On November 17, terrorists broke into the school and killed the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku. They then took the 26 pupils away.
But two of the students later got away from their kidnappers, leaving 24 still in jail.
Calls for an investigation
The kidnapping made many very angry, and the state governor, Nasir Idris, called for an investigation of the military’s quick departure from the school.
After a private meeting with the Minister of State for Defense, Bello Matawalle, the governor said that the state government had already received intelligence reports saying that terrorists were likely to attack the school.
He added that security forces were sent in because of the information, and he wanted to know why they were pulled out just before the incident.
“We need to find out why they left.” The governor asked, “We had intelligence and provided security, so what happened?”
Muhammad Dantani, the District Head of Maga, also said that the soldiers left the school grounds about 1 a.m.
“At about midnight, I called to make sure the soldiers were still on duty, and I was told they were,” he added. But we didn’t know that they left the school at 1 a.m., just before the attack started. We still don’t know who told them to go or why they did.
“When the bandits got there, the police officers said they hid because there were too many of them and firing back would have meant certain death.” There were too many bandits and they had too many guns.
“The police thought that fighting the outlaws would be suicide without the army. We appreciate their worries about safety, but because no one fought back, the bandits were able to work from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. without being stopped.
The Federal Government, on the other hand, was able to arrange the release of the youngsters on Tuesday.
The Kebbi State Government declared that medical tests showed that the girls were not sexually molested while they were being held.
People called to Abuja
The senior government official told our reporter that Kebbi was waiting to see what the military investigation found out about who told the soldiers to leave the school before the attack.
“The military men who were stationed at the school have been called to Abuja for questioning. The Defense Headquarters called them on Monday. He said, “We are following the case.”
The spokesman said that the soldiers came from the Army Barracks in Zuru.
A reliable security source, who has always given our reporter correct information, also said that the personnel had been called to the Defence Headquarters.
“I don’t know all the details, but I heard from army friends on Monday that the soldiers have gone to the headquarters.” All the heads of security are delighted with what transpired in Niger and Kebbi. There was no good work done by the army or the cops. He said, “But the investigation is still going on.”
A high-ranking military official, who didn’t want to be named because he wasn’t allowed to talk about it, stated that the inquiry was still going on.
“The military hierarchy is looking into the situation, and everyone connected to the school will be asked one or two questions to find out what went wrong. He warned, “Anyone who is found guilty will definitely be punished.”
Another military source said, “It’s possible that the troops were called in because of the incident, but the investigation is still going on.”
We tried to get comments from Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, the Director of Defense Media Operations, but his phone was inaccessible at the time of this report.
Ahmed Idris, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Kebbi State, claimed he could not confirm the summon when asked.
He added, “The Defence Headquarters is in charge of the investigation, so we don’t know anything about it.” We do want to know what happens, though, and we expect the military to do what needs to be done.
How the girls were let go
It was learned that the military tried to save the girls, but the mission failed, therefore they had to talk to the terrorists.
A high-ranking source said, “The females were let go at the boundary between Kebbi State and Gusau (Zamfara State). They were confined in a jungle, and security guards transported them back to Kebbi.
“The security forces had found the forest where the girls were being held.” They set up surveillance and sent in a lot of people and a helicopter, which made it impossible for the criminals to move.
“The security agencies utilized tricks to free them from captivity. They talked to the bandits and used other expert approaches. They were able to get the bandits to let the girls go.
When asked if “communication” meant negotiation, the source said, “Yes, there was negotiation.” At first, the security guards and the bandits shot at each other, but later the military changed their plans and let the schoolgirls go free. We’re glad to have them all back.
Our reporter also saw a viral video in which a bandit leader standing among the girls said they were let go after talks.
He informed the girls, “You saw how the government couldn’t save you.” Peaceful talks got you out of jail. We got in touch with our leaders, and that’s how you got free.
Parents of victims said that attacks won’t deter kids from coming to school.
Parents of the rescued schoolgirls, on the other hand, said they will send their kids back to school even though the tragedy happened.
The parents told one of our reporters that they were still committed to Western education, even though their families had been through a lot of hardship.
Mallam Ibrahim Naibi, a parent, claimed that the attack made him even more determined to keep all of his kids in school.
“My kids will go to school.” “I made them a promise, and with God’s help, I will keep it,” he added.
Another father, Abubakar Jibrin, stated that fear would not stop the people of Maga, and that their top concern was still to educate their children, especially girls.
“We are determined to make sure our children get a good education before we even think about marriage in this community.” We won’t be deterred in any manner. “By God’s grace, this problem of kidnapping won’t happen again,” he stated.
Alhaji Sani Jimri believes that education is still the best way for the community to move forward.
“If we teach our kids, we’ll be safe tomorrow.” “We are fully ready to help them get the education they need,” he said.
Another parent, who only gave his name as Mallam Abubakar, said that while his son was being held captive, the family didn’t hear from the kidnappers.
“We couldn’t hear them. We weren’t sure if they were sick or had eaten. He replied, “The silence was torture.”
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