A fact-finding committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan in the wake of the outcry over the abduction of school girls from Government School Chibok, Borno State, has reported that 219 girls of the school are still unaccounted for. The committee was inaugurated on May 2, 2014, while the girls were reported abducted on Aril 14, 2014. Boko Haram claims their abduction. Presenting the report at the Presidential Villa Abuja today, Chairman of the Presidential Facts Finding Committee Retired General Ibrahim Sabo, who urged that the report be treated confidentially, however said its recommendations should be carefully studied. General Sabo said there was too much blame game going around instead of everyone to be working for the safe release of the girls. “Little will be achieved through finger-pointing. Getting the girls out, and safely too, is by far more important than the publicity generated by the blame game that has tended to becloud the issue”.
The committee chairman disclosed that out of a total of 276 girls abducted by members of the Boko Haram Sect, 57 of them had escaped while 219 are yet to be unaccounted for. General Sabo’s report will put to rest doubts in some quarters, including from government sources, that the whole kidnap saga is orchestrated to cause disaffection for the president. The retired Army General said: “Mr President ,the committee here wishes to lay to rest any residual doubt whether or not any student was abducted at Chibok “As most Nigerians already know, there were some persons who doubted whether in fact any student was abducted from Government Secondary School, Chibok. On the other hand, for those who believed that there was abduction, there were lingering doubts as to how such a number of kidnap victims were conveyed, considering also that information was sparse as to how the raiding insurgents evacuated the victims.
The committee report revealed that during the siege on the school, 119 students escaped from the school premises, before the insurgents took away their classmates, while a further 57 escaped from their abductors. “A total of 276 students were thus abducted. As of today 57 of the abducted students have been reunited with their families after escaping along zig-zag transport route taken by the insurgents or by bolting to safety when the insurgents laid for a rest. Sadly 219 students remain unaccounted for. He noted that the insurgents were able to operate unhindered because there was no security arrangement at the Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) where the girls were kidnapped on April 14.
The committee said it got full cooperation from the Borno State Government and some other establishments but chided an unnamed senator, whom it said refused to engage them, even after promising to do so. The Sabo committee had two representatives of National Council of Women Societies, two female representatives of Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, two representatives each of the National Parents Teachers Association, Nigeria Police, State Security Service, Nigerian Army and Nigeria Union of Journalists; and representatives from a few other bodies. Only one nominee, Femi Falana, SAN, rejected his appointment.
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