The Yobe State Police Command has described as untrue, claims by the Nigerian Army that it formally handed over security of Dapchi town to it when troops were redeployed from the area.
The Army had in an earlier statement on Monday claimed it handed over the security of Dapchi to the Police when it withdrew soldiers from the town and redeployed them reinforcement at Kanama following attacks on troops' location at the Nigerian - Nigerien border.
The Army issued the statement in reaction to claims credited to Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State that the withdrawal of the military was responsible for the recent suspected Boko Haram terrorists' attack and abduction of female students from Government Girls Science Technical College in Dapchi as false.
“This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relatively calm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formally handed over to the Nigeria Police Division located in the town. Troops' redeployment was therefore done in tandem with the exigencies of operation and not as misconstrued,” Col Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations and spokesperson for Operation Lafiya Dole, the code name for Nigerian military operations against insurgency in North east, said in a statement on Monday
But Yobe Commissioner of Police, Mr Sumonu Abdulmaliki in a statement issued to react to the military claim said there was no any formal hand- over of security of Dapchi to it by the military when troops were withdrawn from the town.
“There was no time that the military informed the Police of their withdrawal, consult or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the Police,” Mr Abdulmaliki said in a statement.
“The statement by the Military of formal handing over of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police Division in Dapchi is not correct and untrue, as there was no time that the military informed the Police of their withdrawal, consult or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the Police.
“The whole of Yobe State is still under Security Emergency which the Police, the Military and other security agencies are battling to ensure lasting peace.
“Members of the public in Yobe State are implored to disregard and discountenance this claim that the Military formally handed the security of Dapchi town to the Nigeria Police as untrue, unfounded and misleading.
“The Yobe State Police Command will continue to cooperate with other security agencies in ensuring safety and protection of lives and property of people of Yobe State,” the Police Commissioner added.