#DapchiGirls: Army Refutes Gaidam’s Claims On Withdrawal Of Troops

Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam

The Nigerian Army has denied the statement made by the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, that the 110 students from Government Girls Science and Technical College were abducted in Dapchi by Boko Haram last Monday, due to the withdrawal of its troops barely a week before the attack.

Naija News reported that Governor Gaidam said this on Saturday during the solidarity visit, Borno Governor, Kassim Shettima paid him.

He said, “I blame the whole attack on Dapchi on the military and the defence headquarters who withdrew troops from Dapchi. The attack occurred barely a week after the military withdrew the soldiers from there. Before then, Dapchi has been peaceful, there was never such incident. But just a week after they withdrew the troops, Boko Haram came to attack the town.”

“The same thing happened in 2013 when the military suddenly removed troops guarding the town and a week later Boko Haram went there to attack the town and the secondary school there, killing 29 students,” he recalled.

But the Defence Headquarters refuted the claims, telling Premium Times in a telephone interview on Sunday night that the governor was being mischievous.

The spokeserson of the Nigerian Army, John Agim, said, “There were no soldiers stationed in Dapchi before the attack.

“The governor knew there was no military presence in the town.”

Mr. Agim said the governor and other Nigerians should understand that the military has no capacity to protect all the schools across the Northern region.

He said the closest military outpost was about 30 kilometres away but declined to disclose the specific location of the soldiers.