The Yobe State government has apologized for issuing to the public, information concerning the alleged abduction and rescue of 111 schoolgirls at Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi.
The Yobe State government has apologized for issuing to the public, information concerning the alleged abduction and rescue of 111 schoolgirls at Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi.
The government described the information as “unreliable,” and apologized for it.
A press release signed by the Director-General Press Affairs, Mr. Abdullahi Bego, and entitled “apology and clarification,” stated that the information it issued about the matter was provided by one of the security agencies involved in the fight against Boko Haram.
The Yobe State government has since realized that the information was “unreliable,” and has since apologized for it and retracted it.
The press release reads:
The public may recall that we issued a statement last night (Thursday, February 21, 2018) in which we announced that some of the girls at Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi, who went missing after Boko Haram terrorists had stormed their school last Monday, were rescued by officers and men of the Nigerian Army who are currently executing the war against the Boko Haram insurgents.
We issued the statement on the basis of information provided by one of the security agencies that is involved in the fight against Boko Haram and which we had no reason to doubt.
We have now established that the information we relied on to make the statement was not credible. The Yobe State government apologizes for that.
His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam was in Dapchi today (Thursday, February 22, 2018), where he met with community leaders and the principal and staff of the Girls’ College.
The governor also addressed the parents of some of the schoolgirls that are still unaccounted for, where he told them to pray and exercise patience as the government and security agencies at all levels continue the work to address the unfortunate situation.
His Excellency Governor Gaidam has also directed Education Ministry officials and the school administration to work closely with the security agencies to establish the actual number of the girls that are still unaccounted for and to contact parents and the community for possible information that could be useful in the investigation.
His Excellency Governor Gaidam shares deeply and personally in the grief about the unfortunate event at the Girls’ College and, under his leadership, the Yobe State Government will continue to do everything necessary in partnership with security agencies and the federal government to address the situation.
