All military personnel attached to the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State—where 26 schoolgirls were abducted—are currently facing interrogation at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, as Saturday PUNCH has learned.
A credible senior government official told one of our correspondents that the DHQ had begun investigating the sudden withdrawal of military personnel from the school shortly before the abduction.
Terrorists stormed the school on November 17, killing the Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before whisking away the 26 students. However, two of the students later escaped from their captors, leaving 24 still in captivity.
The abduction sparked outrage, prompting the state Governor, Nasir Idris, to call for a probe into the sudden withdrawal of the military personnel from the school. Speaking after a closed-door meeting with the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, the governor revealed that the state government had earlier received intelligence reports suggesting that the school was likely to be targeted by terrorists. He said security operatives were deployed in response to the intelligence, questioning why they were withdrawn shortly before the attack.
“We need to know why they left. We had intelligence; we provided security, so what happened?” the governor asked during the meeting.
The District Head of Maga, Muhammad Dantani, also stated that the military personnel withdrew from the school premises around 1 am. He said, “Around midnight, I called to confirm whether the soldiers were still at their post and was told they were. But unknown to us, they left the school around 1 am, just shortly before the attack began. We still don’t know who gave the order or why they withdrew.
“When the bandits arrived, the police officers said they took cover because the attackers were far too numerous and opening fire would have meant certain death. The number of bandits and their level of firepower were overwhelming. With the army absent, the police felt engaging the bandits would be suicidal. While we understand their safety concerns, the lack of resistance allowed the bandits to operate from around 1:30 am until 3:30 am without opposition.”
The schoolchildren, however, regained their freedom on Tuesday after the Federal Government negotiated their release. The Kebbi State Government said medical examinations confirmed that the girls were not sexually abused while in captivity.
Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the senior government official said Kebbi was awaiting the outcome of the military investigation into who ordered the personnel to leave the school premises before the attack. “The military personnel who were stationed at the school have been summoned to Abuja for interrogation. They were summoned by the Defence Headquarters on Monday. We are following the case,” he said.
The official noted that the troops were from the Army Barracks in Zuru.
A credible security source, who has consistently provided accurate information to Saturday PUNCH, also confirmed that the personnel had been summoned to the Defence Headquarters. “I don’t have all the details, but I learnt on Monday from colleagues in the army that the soldiers have reported to the headquarters. All the security heads are happy with what happened in Kebbi and Niger. Neither the soldiers nor the police didn’t do well. But the investigation is ongoing,” he said.
A top military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, said the investigation was ongoing. “The military hierarchy is investigating the matter, and everyone attached to the school will be asked one or two questions to determine what went wrong. Anyone found culpable will definitely be brought to book,” he said.
Another military source added, “It’s not unlikely that the troops have been summoned in connection with the incident, but the matter is still under probe.”
Efforts to obtain comments from the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, were unsuccessful, as his phone was unreachable as of the time of filing this report.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State Governor, Ahmed Idris, said he could not confirm the summon. He said, “The investigation is being handled by the Defence Headquarters, so we don’t know anything about it. However, we want to know the outcome, and we expect the military to take necessary action.”
