Boko Haram attacked Dapchi a week after troops were withdrawn – Yobe Gov

Yobe State governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, has revealed that the withdrawal of troops from Dapchi paved way for an attack on the Government Girls’ Technical College in the town by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

The governor said soldiers were withdrawn from Dapchi barley a week before the insurgents struck. He said this on Sunday while receiving Kashim Shettima, his Borno state counterpart, in Damaturu, the state capital.

A total of 110 students of the school are reportedly missing after the insurgents attacked the town last week.

“I blame the whole attack on Dapchi on the military and the defence headquarters who withdrew troops from Dapchi,” Gaidam said.

“The attack occurred barely a week after the military withdrew the soldiers from there.

“Before then, Dapchi had been peaceful, there was never such incident. But just a week after they withdrew the troops, Boko Haram came to attack the town.

“When I met the theatre commander on why the military where withdrawn, he said they have shortage of manpower. To me, it is not an excuse because it’s duty bound for the FG to recruit and bridge the gap.”

He likened the incident to a Boko Haram attack on Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, also in Yobe, during which some students were killed.

He said if the troops were on ground, both attacks would not have occurred.

The governor said: “Let me be quoted anywhere, the military must take blame for the attack on Dapchi.

“The same thing happened in 2013 when the military suddenly removed troops guarding the town and a week later Boko Haram went there to attack the town and the secondary school there killing 29 students.”

Meanwhile, Defence Headquarters, on Saturday, denied that troops withdrew a few days before the abduction of the schoolgirls in Dapchi.

The Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. John Agim, in a text message to Punch, said there was no truth in the allegation that the military withdrew a few hours to the attack.

Agim said, “There is no truth in the allegation because the military has been in a location that is about 30 kilometres to the school.”