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, Abuja, DOYA NEWS has learnt.
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.
Calls for probe
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He said security operatives were deployed in response to the intelligence, questioning why they were withdrawn shortly before the attack.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 1am.
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 1am, 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 1.30am until 3.30am 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.
Personnel summoned to Abuja
Speaking with DOYA NEWS, the senior government official said Kebbi was awaiting the outcome of 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 DOYA NEWS, 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 authorised 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.