Dapchi girls: Back-channel meant for secure, quick safe release – Lai Mohammed

ITREALMS:

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has explained that the use of back-channel in the release of the abducted Dapchi girls from the Government Girls Secondary and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi on 19 February 2018, was for quick and safety, reports ITRealms.

Speaking in Lagos on Sunday, Mohammed said “the abducted girls were released last Wednesday as a result of intense back-channel engagement aimed at securing their quick and safe release.”

This, he said, was done in concert with a friendly country, international organization and trusted facilitators, stressing that since then, there have been a lot of developments, including that actually, a total of 111 girls were abducted from

“That means one student was not captured on the list of 110 abducted students that was compiled by the school, on the basis of which the Federal Government gave the number of abducted schoolgirls as 110.

“Also kidnapped were two other persons, who are not students of the college. They include a primary school boy who came to the school to sell pure water and another primary school girl. That brings the total number of abducted persons on that day to 113.

“So far, a total of 107 persons, comprising 105 Dapchi schoolgirls and the two non-students, have been released by the insurgents,” he said.

The Minister equally said that six Dapchi schoolgirls were yet unaccounted for, but all efforts will be made to secure their release.

Nenye Dom/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Pix: Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed (middle) flanked by the Special Assistant 1 to the President on Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi (left) and Special Assistant II to the President on Information and Culture, Mr. Williams Adeleye (right) at the press conference in Lagos on Sunday.