Presidential fact-finding
committee on the rescue of the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok, Borno
State, submitted its report today.While presenting the report to President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House in Abuja today, the chairman of the committee, Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd) said his team gathered that 219 students remained unaccounted for, noting that of the 276 abducted, 57 escaped and had been reunited with their families.
He said his committee discovered that during the siege on the school on April 14, 119 students escaped from the school premises, before the insurgents took away others.
"After Boko Haram struck at Chibok on the 14th of April, this year, there were varying and conflicting accounts of what happened, and even more so of the number of persons affected by the unspeakable atrocities on that night. As most Nigerians already know, there were some persons who doubted whether, in fact, any student was abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok. On the other hand, for those who believed that there was abduction, there were lingering doubts as to how such a number of kidnap victims were conveyed, considering also that information was sparse as to how the raiding insurgents evacuated the victims", he said.
He said in view of the detailed security findings and recommendations contained in the report, the committee advised that in order not to jeopardise on-going rescue efforts and also the possibility of compromising national security matters, its report be treated with utmost confidentiality, noting however that this does not preclude the government from releasing information that may be useful for better public understanding of issues surrounding the abduction saga.
"Mr President, the committee here wishes to lay to rest any residual doubt whether or not any student was abducted at Chibok. There was mass abduction on the night of 14th April, 2014. During the siege on the school, 119 students escaped from the school premises, before the insurgents took away their classmates. A total number of 276 students were, thus, abducted. As of today, 57 of the abducted students have been reunited with their families after escaping along the zig-zag transport route taken by the insurgents, or by bolting to safety when the insurgents laid-by for a rest. Sadly, 219 students remain unaccounted for", he said.
Sabo said all stakeholders, except a senator from the state, cooperated fully with the committee.
"Indeed, the committee interacted with persons and groups considered relevant to the realisation of our fact-finding mandate. The singular exception was a senator from Borno who, after agreeing to an appointment with the committee, turned around to avoid the meeting, on the excuse that he had another appointment, and would thereafter be unavailable for another one month, or so. Not that his non-appearance has materially, or in any way, affected the outcome of the committee’s findings. But the senator’s avoidance of an interface with the committee may well speak to a motive not too difficult to discern", he said.
He warned that much as Nigerians and the rest of the world had been galvanized to drum up support for freedom for the schoolgirls, little would be achieved through finger-pointing, saying getting the girls out safely is by far more important than the publicity generated by the blame game "that has tended to becloud the issue".
He added: "Permit me, Mr President, to convey the burning hope, wishes, and fervent prayers of the parents and relatives of the abducted schoolgirls, who desire that their daughters and wards be rescued alive and reunited with their families. But there is no mistaking the trauma and deep-seated fear of some of the schoolgirls, who escaped from the Boko Haram abductors. The parents and guardians of the schoolgirls are no less gripped by nagging worries over the incident. On May 29th, the committee visited Chibok, where we interacted with community members and leaders, as well as parents and four of the girls who regained their freedom from the abductors. Tried as we could, the four girls were hesitant to discuss the full details of their experience, citing the fear of possible reprisals from Boko Haram elements.
"In fact, parents of other girls who escaped were hidden from the public glare, also because of the fear of reprisals. Nevertheless, in the course of the committee seeking to mobilise the surrounding communities and general citizenry, to support a rescue strategy and operation, the point was also made about the dicey nature of the kidnap situation. The schoolgirls are in the hands of insurgents whose record of wanton destruction of life and property in the North-East of the country is well known. The committee has articulated options in the rescue strategy, and these are contained in our report. The committee’s report has also raised and addressed a number of issues that are incidental to the committee’s terms of reference. These incidental matters deal with insurgency in general, as well as the military-political responses that are vital to overcoming the current security challenges.
"However, although the committee has already begun the process of mobilising the communities, in tandem with term of reference number four, it is as yet unfinished business. Achieving more worthwhile outcomes in this regard will require more time and a more compact team than the current time-frame and composition of the committee permit. Recommendations on the way forward are detailed in our report. In conclusion, the committee members and I would like to express our gratitude for the opportunity to have undertaken this assignment in a very trying moment in our country’s history. We are, nevertheless, pained that the schoolgirls remain in captivity. The hostage situation that this represents is obviously delicate".
In his remarks, Jonathan said proprietors of boarding school, especially in the North-East, should be ready to provide basic security that would guarantee students' safety.
He said: "Everybody that own schools, especially in the North- East, if they must keep students in boarding, there must be a basic security provision. I'm not expecting a battalion of army in schools, but even if we had five policemen guiding Chibok school that night, the students couldn't have been deceived into believing that the insurgents were taking them into protective custody. The story is that the abductors came in military uniforms and told the students that they're taking them to safety so that they won't be attacked by Boko Haram. If there were at least five policemen on duty that night, they'd have alerted the students. Even if there would be abduction, the number couldn't have been as high as this."
The president said he and the security agencies would not sleep until the abducted schoolgirls of Chibok are rescued.
Jonathan, who likened the insecurity in the country to a war situation, said he would not relent until terror is crushed because Nigeria could no longer live "with the monster called Boko Haram."
He also assured that the Boko Haram insurgency would not last forever, saying terror attack anywhere is an attack on everyone.
Jonathan maintained that security agencies were doing their best to end terrorism, adding however that he had charged them to intensify their efforts.
Noting that his administration would not limit its anti-terrorism efforts to military intervention, he said he was looking at economic issues to improve people's welfare.
The president said in addition to the Almajiri school programme, he was also coming up with the Safe Schools Initiative.
He also disclosed that a victim support fund would soon be floated to cater for children orphaned by terror activities as well as those whose business premises had been destroyed.
He also pledged that his administration would rebuild the Chibok school using Army engineers. This, he said, would be done after the abducted girls would have been rescued.
"The Federal Government is going to rebuild the Chibok school. We'll use Army engineers to build a school that will be secured. All buildings there will be demolished and rebuilt. That will start after the children are rescued.
"On completion, the Federal Government will not manage the school because it is a state school. We will hand it over to the state government to manage," he added.
The president assured the committee that the National Security Council would study its report and take necessary steps.
The committee, inaugurated on May 6, was charged to liaise with the Borno State Government and establish the circumstances leading to the School remaining open for boarding students when other schools were closed; to liaise with relevant authorities and the parents of the missing girls to establish the actual number and identities of the girls abducted; and to interface with the Security Services and Borno State Government to ascertain how many of the missing girls have returned.
The committee's terms of reference also included mobilising the surrounding communities and the general public on citizen support for a rescue strategy and operation; articulating a framework for a multi-stakeholder action for the rescue of the missing girls; and advising the Federal Government on any matter incidental to the terms of reference.
Source: Daily Trust