Dozens of girls abducted from their school by fighters from the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram may still be unaccounted for, in a chilling repetition of the notorious 2014 kidnapping of the Chibok girls.
Heavily armed insurgents attacked the village of Dapchi on Monday evening in camouflaged trucks, according to witnesses, heading directly for the school and shooting as they went, scattering pupils and teachers.
It is unclear whether or not the military subsequently staged a rescue mission, and accounts of the girls’ whereabouts by officials and family members vary wildly.
Several parents and a government official told Reuters that the Nigerian military rescued 76 schoolgirls and recovered the bodies of two that were killed, leaving 13 missing, but around the same time, the local government of Yobe state, where the incident took place, released a statement saying 50 remained unaccounted for.
It said it “has continued to receive information about some of the girls being found in the general area to which they escaped”.
Chiefs of the armed forces and police were on their way to the state, according to the information minister, Lai Mohammed, and the Nigerian president tried to reassure the public on Twitter that something was being done.
“I have directed the military and police to mobilise immediately to ensure that all the missing girls … are found,” Muhammadu Buhari posted on Wednesday night, two days after the attack. “I share the anguish of all the parents and guardians of the girls that remain unaccounted for.”
However, Nigerians remember with bitterness how long it took the administration to acknowledge the attack on another school and then to act.
Since 274 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Chibok in 2014, sparking global outrage and an international campaign for their release adopted by celebrities including Michelle Obama, a new government has been elected in Nigeria, largely on a promise to tackle the insurgency that has led to tens of thousands being killed and millions fleeing their homes.
Despite frequently claiming victory over Boko Haram, and making some inroads against them, Buhari’s government and the armed forces have failed to wrest back control of the north-east, and, unable to protect them in their home villages, have corralled civilians into garrison towns, where they are unable to provide for themselves and are reliant on outside aid.