Nigerian Air Force deploys 100 aircraft to Yobe State in search of missing Dapchi schoolgirls

NIGERIA'S air force has deployed 100 fighter jets across the northeast of the country in a desperate attempt to find the 100 pupils of Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi who were abducted on February 19.

Last Monday, the school was attacked by the terrorists, who abducted some of the pupils in what was reminiscent of the kidnapping of the Chibok girls in 2014. Since then, there has been a lot of discrepancy about the fate of the girls, with the Nigerian Army reported to have freed them and there being disputes about the numbers affected.

Earlier this week, however, the authorities released the names of 105 girls said to have been missing following the raid and the Nigerian Air Force (Naf) appears to have swung into action to find them. Some 20 of the Naf jets have flown 200 hours already according to information minister Lai Mohammed.

Also, chief of air staff Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar relocated to Yobe State yesterday to personally superintend the search for the girls whose ages range from 11 to 19. According to the minister, eight of the missing girls are in Junior Secondary School One, 17 in Junior Secondary School Two 12 in Junior Secondary School Three, 40 in Senior Secondary School One, 19 in Senor Secondary School Two and 14 in Senior Secondary School Three.

National security adviser Babagana Monguno, who constituted a 12-member committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction, gave the committee a March 15 deadline to submit its report. Mr Munguno, who visited Governor Ibrahim Gaidam in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital yesterday, announced that 80 other planes would join the search for the girls.

Mr Munguno said: “The Nigerian Air Force has deployed 20 aircraft in Maiduguri and 80 others on their way. So far, 200 hours have been utilised in flying sorties looking for these girls.

“We have also been made aware of the fact that the Nigerian Air Force will step up its operation regardless of the very hard and severe weather condition. Back in Abuja, we have set up our own machinery in dealing with this situation and all the security agencies have been working together."