How to prevent Chibok, Dapchi recurrence – Police

The Police, yesterday, proffered some measures to prevent further recurrence of the abduction of school girls in both Borno and Yobe states. The force specifically advised the state governments to merge some schools in remote locations to enhance the security of the students.

The Borno state Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, gave the advice at a monthly police offi cers’ meeting in Maiduguri. The police’s advice came weeks after over 100 schoolgirls kidnapped from their school in Dapchi, neighbouring Yobe state, were freed. One of the girls, Leah Sharibu, is still with the Boko Haram insurgents.

A similar kidnap occurred about four years ago in Chibok, Borno state, with about 100 of the abducted girls still in captivity. Addressing the meeting, Chukwu said the measure was imperative in view of the ongoing military operations in parts of the state. He also told the meeting that police had deployed 3,000 personnel to protect both teachers and students in public schools.

The commissioner said police personnel were deployed in compliance with the presidential directive to secure schools in the state. According to him, the command has adopted proactive security measures to ensure the protection of the students both within and outside the schools. “The policemen were deployed to cluster areas with high concentration of schools. The deployment was done despite the command’s operational challenges.

The  deployment is to ensure that the schools are adequately protected against any threat. “Effective measures have been put in place, in all nooks and crannies of the state, to ensure the protection of students while on their way to schools and way back home,” he said. He remarked that the recent visit of the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to the North-east, was aimed at ensuring maximum security of the schools.

According to him, the command has deployed personnel with special antiterrorism units to the liberated communities to protect lives and property in the state. While commending men and officers of the command for their gallantry, Chukwu tasked them to be more dedicated to duty. He, however, warned that the government would not condone a repeat of the Dapchi school incident.

The police boss also commended the state government for its support to the command, and called on residents to provide useful information on suspicious persons to the security agencies. Reps probe abduction, release In a related development, the House of Representatives Ad-Hoc Committee on the Abduction of Dapchi School Girls have arrived Yobe yesterday to probe the abduction and consequent release of the girls.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Buba Yusuf and his team who paid a courtesy call on Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, said they were in the state to investigate the abduction of the girls and their subsequent release.

Hon. Yusuf further said the committee, which has four weeks to submit its report, has its terms of reference to investigate and advise the federal government on the need to overhaul and beef up security in the North east, interact with the security personnel and the parents of the girls, among others.

“We are here to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the abduction. We are not here to witch-hunt anybody or group but for good governance; by engaging stakeholders to help us avoid further reoccurrence,” he said. Responding, Governor Gaidam, represented by his deputy, Engr. Abubukar D. Aliyu, thanked members of the committee for the concern, commitment and prayers that led to the rescue of the girls.

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