The Custodian April 20, 2014
The Nigerian military has begun a deployment of soldiers along
the country’s northern borders as part of efforts to rescue schoolgirls who
were kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect on Monday night, Source authoritatively reports
No
fewer than 129 girls were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary school,
Chibok, Borno State.
A
day after the attack, 14 of the girls escaped when one of the lorries in which
they were being conveyed broke down. On Friday, another 14 escaped from their
abductors, close to a Cameroon border, leaving 85 in the custody of the sect.
The
principal of the school, Mrs. Asabe Kwambura, reportedly said members of the
sect were dressed in military uniforms.
The
Defence Headquarters had on Wednesday said the military had rescued 107 girls
of the abducted pupils.
But
on Thursday, Kwambura faulted the claim of the Defence Headquarters that 107
girls had been rescued.
Kwambura,
had, in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, said apart from the 14 pupils
that escaped from the sect, she was not aware of any that had been released.
She
had described the statement of the military as “a blatant lie.”
The Defence
Headquarters later on Wednesday night retracted its statement on the release of
the 107 schoolgirls.
In
a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade,
the military authorities said, “In the light of the denial by the principal of
the school, the Defence Headquarters wishes to defer to the school principal
and the governor’s statement on the number of students still missing.”
Source learnt
on Friday that the troops were deployed in the borders with Niger, Chad and
Cameroon, with the largest concentration along the Cameroonian area.
A
top military source who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that the
military was concentrating on the borders because members of the sect might
want to sneak the schoolgirls out of Nigeria.
The
source said, “There has been a large movement of troops along Nigerian borders.
Soldiers are being conveyed in buses as part of efforts to rescue the
girls.
“The
information we have is that the kidnappers are still within Nigeria, especially
within the Sambisa terrain, hence the deployment of more troops at borders to
prevent their escape to neighbouring countries.”
When
our correspondent contacted Olukolade, he confirmed the deployment, adding that
soldiers were still in pursuit of those holding the schoolgirls.
‘The
deployment is part of the entire operation; it is part of the general operation
there. Soldiers are still in pursuit of those who are holding them,” he said
He
declined to make further comments.
Our
correspondent further learnt that when the girls were abducted, the sect
ambushed security forces that were chasing them, killing a soldier in the
process.
Another
top security source told us that
the sect might have divided the girls into different groups and separated them
to make it impossible to get all the girls in one place.
He
said, “The soldiers that were going to intervene were ambushed on the way. One soldier
died in the ambush; soldiers fought through the ambush and continued their
movement but they were delayed. The planners were meticulous; they planned for
intervention.
“We
have an intelligence report that it might be difficult to retrieve all the girls
in one group; they (the sect) have divided the girls into small groups, which
will make it difficult to get them all in one spot.”
One
of the girls who escaped was said to have disclosed that the sect members did
not harass them sexually.
The
security source, who confided in our correspondent, quoted the girl to have
said, “They didn’t mess us up, but they (the sect members) told us to cook food
for them. We also have a report that they have not reached their destination.”
The
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr.
Reuben Abati, declined commenting on the Federal Government’s rescue mission
for the kidnapped girls. He said it was a matter for security agencies to
comment on.
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