A total of 219 girls are still being held by Boko Haram terrorists, who seized them from their dormitories in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14, the Presidential Fact-Finding Committee on the saga has confirmed.

This puts a lie to the claim of First Lady Patience Jonathan and the propaganda of the likes of former Niger Delta militant Mujahid Dokubo-Asari that no girl was missing. The lie and counter-campaign by government apologists have virtually neutralised the clamour for the return of the girls even as there is no visible sign of any serious effort to rescue them. Only in Nigeria!

Submitting the committee’s report to President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in the State House, Abuja, the chairman, Brigadier-General Ibrahim Sabo, also revealing that a total of 276 girls had been originally abducted by the insurgents, out of which 57 escaped.

While making the presentation to the president, he said that 119 students had earlier escaped from the school before the terrorists took away the original 276 girls.

Brig.-Gen Sabo, while putting to rest any doubts as to whether the girls were actually abducted, urged the Federal Government to treat the content of the report in confidence because of details of the findings that have security implications.

He said: “As most Nigerians already know, there were some persons, who doubted whether, in fact, any student was abducted from the 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 insurgents evacuated the victims.

“Mr President, the committee here wishes to lay to rest, any residual doubt whether or not, any student was abducted at Chibok. There was mass abduction on the night of 14th April, 2014. During the siege on the school, 119 students escaped from the school premises, before the insurgents took away their classmates.

“A total number of 276 students were, thus, abducted. As of today, 57 of the abducted students have been reunited with their families after escaping along the zig-zag transport route taken by the insurgents, or by bolting to safety when the insurgents lay by for a rest. Sadly, 219 students remain unaccounted for.”

Sabo added: “Details of the circumstances of Government Secondary School, Chibok, remaining open, in spite of the ravages of Boko Haram in the state, are contained in the report of the committee.

“Also contained in the report is the detailed explanation of the painstaking measures taken by the committee in arriving at the number of students still to be accounted for.”

Stressing the desperation of the parents of the girls to have their children back, the committee chairman also highlighted the trauma faced by the captives, revealing that some of the girls who escaped and were reached by the committee were afraid to narrate their experiences for fear of reprisals from the insurgents.

He stated: “But there is no mistaking the trauma and deep-seated fear of some of the schoolgirls who escaped from the Boko Haram abductors. The parents and guardians of the schoolgirls are no less gripped by nagging worries over the incident.

“On May 29th, the committee visited Chibok, where we interacted with community members and leaders, as well as parents and four of the girls who regained their freedom from the abductors.

“Tried as we could, the four girls were hesitant to discuss the full details of their experience, citing the fear of possible reprisals from Boko Haram elements. In fact, parents of other girls who escaped were hidden from the public glare, also because of the fear of reprisals.

“Nevertheless, in the course of the committee’s seeking to mobilise the surrounding communities and general citizenry to support a rescue strategy and operation, the point was also made about the dicey nature of the kidnap situation.

“The schoolgirls are in the hands of insurgents whose record of wanton destruction of life and property in the North-East of the country is well known. The committee has articulated options in the rescue strategy, and these are contained in our report.”

He said the committee’s report has also raised and addressed a number of issues that are incidental to the committee’s terms of reference, saying that these incidental matters deal with insurgency in general, as well as the military-political responses that are vital to overcoming the current security challenges.

The committee indicted Senator Ahmed Zanna (representing Borno Central Senatorial District) for refusing to appear before it for interaction even though he had previously agreed to do so.

Zanna had been summoned by the State Security Service (SSS) in October 2012 over his alleged involvement with Boko Haram.

Regretting Zanna’s refusal to honour the agreement to meet with the committee, the chairman said: “Indeed, the committee interacted with persons and groups considered relevant to the realisation of our fact-finding mandate.

“The singular exception was a senator from Borno who, after agreeing to an appointment with the committee, turned around to avoid the meeting on the excuse that he had another appointment, and would thereafter be unavailable for another one month or so.

“Not that his non-appearance has materially, or in any way, affected the outcome of the committee’s findings, but the senator’s avoidance of an interface with the committee may well speak to a motive not too difficult to discern.”

Receiving the report, President Jonathan expressed sadness that the girls were still in the hands of the terrorists three months after and pledged to do all in his powers to ensure their release and an end to Boko Haram insurgency.

“None of us can afford good sleep until those girls are returned,” he said, expressing optimism that the girls would be rescued.

•Partly based on reports from Channels and Tribune. Photo courtesy of Tribune.