Several Girls Go Missing Following Boko Haram’s Attack on School

Several Girls Go Missing Following Boko Haram’s Attack on School

Residents in northeastern part of Nigeria were gripped by fear about the likely fate of their daughters that disappeared after an attack by Boko Haram rebels at a school in the region on Wednesday. The rebel militants of the Boko Haram group that is affiliated to the dreaded Taliban group stormed into the Dapchi Govt Girls Science Secondary School located in Yobe state a couple of days ago. Though the locals initially stated that most of the girls and teachers managed to flee before the attack, their whereabouts seem dubious. The terrorist group gained attention when they abducted 276 girls from a school in Chibok in Borno state during 2014.

Though fifty seven of the captured victims managed to escape captivity in the aftermath, around 107 have been released in a deal brokered by the government but around 112 are still confined. The recent incident has sparked fears among parents and several of them turned up at the school premises demanding information. A harried relative of one of the girls stated that it has been two days since they have any information about the whereabouts of their children.

Though they searched the villages in the immediate vicinity of the school they did not find any of the missing students. All of them fear that this could be a repetition of the Chibok incident as the school authorities are not able to give a clear picture about the events. According to actual figures the boarding school for girls has 710 students along with staff and looks after education of girls above 11 years. Though the state police have not confirmed abductions after the attack local residents say that it could be around 67–94. Mohammad Lamin, Yobe’s commissioner of education stated that the school has been closed and a detailed headcount of every student is being conducted after which they can confirm if anyone was taken.