The British military has offered to assist the Nigerian Army in the search and rescue operation launched for the 105 girls kidnapped in Dapchi, Yobe State.
The Guardian reports that the British army led by Major Ian Robertson, the general advisor, British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in Nigeria, recently made this known.
Condemning the attack and kidnapping of the school girls from Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Dapchi, Robertson lamented the fact that girls’ schools have become soft targets for insurgents.
In his words: “Having heard about this particular issue recently, I am still trying to get more information about what is going on, but it is clearly very disappointing that something like this has happened, that the girls have been taken.
“But let me reassure you, from the British military perspective, that we are monitoring the event quite closely and we are cooperating with the armed forces of Nigeria to see how we can assist.”
On Monday, February 19, 2018, the men of the Boko Haram sect invaded a part of Yobe State including the Government Girls Secondary School in Dapchi kidnapping several students and reigning terror on the school and the village.
According to a forum of parents of missing students, the number of girls in captivity have been given as 105.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the girls kidnap saying it’s a national disaster.
US condemns kidnap of school girls in Yobe
The United States of America condemned the abduction of over 90 school girls from Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe state.
The Spokesperson of the US Department of State, Ms Heather Nauert, at a press briefing on Thursday, said “We are still trying to get all the details about that but we wanted to mention that we condemn in the strongest possible terms the terror attack on a school earlier this week in north-eastern Nigeria.
“The choice of targets including schools, markets and places of worship reflect the brutality of terror organisations.
“The victims in the attacks were girls who were simply seeking an education.”
“We continue to support Nigeria’s efforts to counter the terror group.
“We also support Nigeria’s efforts to enable more than two million displaced in the Lake Chad region to return home safely.
“United States continues to provide humanitarian assistance to those who were affected by the violence,” Nauert added.
111 Yobe school girls unaccounted for
The Police Commissioner in Yobe, Abdulmaliki Sumonu, on Wednesday, confirmed that 111 girls were still unaccounted for following Monday’s attack by Boko Haram insurgents.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the insurgents who attacked the school looted foodstuff, while the staff and students ran into the bush for safety.
