Yobe schoolgirls abduction: Dapchi residents throw stone at their governor, Ibrahim Gaidam

Suspected Boko Haram members had stormed Government Girls Technical College in Dapchi on Monday, but the schoolgirls were said to have fled into the bushes in the area.

While some of the girls had been returning to the school, 46 were said to be missing.

The crowd, still at a loss over the whereabouts of the missing schoolgirls, showed their disgust to the governor on Thursday.

Vehicles in the convoy of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State, damaged by Dapchi residents… on Thursday. Photo: thecable.ng

On sighting him, the crowd who had apparently prepared for him, threw stones at his convoy, injuring some of his aides, as well as government officials.

The security men attached to the governor had to use tear gas to disperse the angry crowd who also destroyed seven vehicles in the convoy.

Many officials in the convoy were seen with bloodstained clothes as they were injured in the attack.

One of the journalists in the convoy, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a cameraman was also injured.

He said: “We were in fear as the residents continued to throw stones to protest against government’s handling of the girls’ abduction.

“The angry residents ignored the tear gas as they vandalised seven vehicles in our convoy.

“From the little information that we got, they were angry that the Yobe State Government deceived Nigerians that the schoolgirls had been rescued when nobody was rescued.

“Some of them told the governor to present the girls that were rescued.”

It was gathered that the governor had to leave the town in a hurry to forestall any disaster.

Yobe makes a U-turn on rescue

The Yobe State Government on Thursday said men of the Nigerian Army did not rescue any of the missing Dapchi schoolgirls.

The  state  government   had  issued  a  late night statement on Wednesday, announcing that some of the schoolgirls were rescued by “officers and men of the Nigerian Army who are currently executing the war against the Boko Haram insurgents.”

The government in another statement on Thursday, however, said, “We issued the statement on the basis of information provided by one of the security agencies that is involved in the fight against Boko Haram and which we had no reason to doubt.

“We have now established that the information we relied on to make the statement was not credible. The Yobe State Government apologises for that.”

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