The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, National New Media Group, PDP-NNMG, has described the abduction and release of 76 out of the 110 Dapchi School Girls on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, as a means of raising fund for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, demanding from the federal government how much was paid as ransom for the release of the girls.
The PDP-NNMG, which said “those who facilitated the abduction of the girls simply facilitated their return’ alleged that about $20 million, was paid for the release of the girls, saying that it was painful that those placed in authority in the country had become so heartless to the extent of framing abduction of innocent school girls to raise fund for the reelection of president Buhari as well as for their own personal use.
Reacting to reported release of girls, PDP-NNMG in a release signed by Edoko Wilson Edoko, its Acting National Publicity Secretary, demanded from the federal government the actual amount paid to the Boko Haram insurgents to secure the release of the girls and how much the facilitators got.
The group sympathized with parents of five of the girls that reportedly died and congratulated parents of those that returned alive.
The statement read in part; “The reported release of the abducted Dapchi School Girls, as gladdening as it still leaves much to be desired as there are more questions than answers.
“Even though we sympathize with parents of five of the girls that reportedly died and congratulate parents of the other girls that returned alive, we wish to ask the APC led federal government how anyone could be so sure that girls purportedly abducted by Boko Haram will be released at a particular time if not that such a person was working hand-in-hand with the adductors.
“Nigerians should be reminded that Ibrahim Geidam, the Governor of Yobe state, said publicly that military checkpoints were withdrawn from Dapchi and other towns days before the abduction of the 110 students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi.
“Also, Human Rights Group, Amnesty International said in its report that security forces failed to act on advance warnings that a convoy of Boko Haram fighters was heading to Dapchi town and that the military failed to respond while the insurgents carried out the abduction of the school girls.
“Furthermore, while fielding questions on Dateline Abuja, a Channels Television’s programme which aired on Saturday, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said the abducted school girls will be released this week and true to his words, the girls were released.
“What all these point to is that that there is complicity in high places as to the abduction and release of the girls and it should be clear to discerning minds that the abduction of the girls was only used to enrich some heartless Nigerians and also justify the looting of our treasury for the funding of President Buhari’s reelection.
“We therefore call on the international community, especially the Transparency International, TI, to help Nigerians in further exposure of the looting of their collective wealth under the guise of fighting Boko Haram insurgency.”
