The Yobe police command and the state government are giving conflicting figures of he number of students of Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi, that are still unaccounted for, following a Boko Haram attack in the school on Monday.
The police said one hundred and eleven are yet to be accounted for while Mohammed Lamin, the state commissioner of education, said 48 missing students had returned.
Lamin had said: “This has brought down the 94 missing students realised at the yesterday headcount to 48 this morning. We are still hopeful that more are returning soon.”
But bdulhameed Sumonu, the state commissioner of police, contradicted him by saying 111 girls, not the 94 earlier reported, were still unaccounted for.
Addressing journalists in Damaturu, the state capital, Sumonu said: “815 out of the 926 students were physically seen in the school as of Tuesday. There are reports that more girls have returned to the school after the headcount.
The commissioner added there were no reports of abductions nor deaths inside the school.
“I asked the school’s principal if there were abductions or deaths in the school and she said no. I am not unaware of the rumours going on, l want to appeal to the press and the society to please cooperate with the security agencies in this situation.”
However, later on Wednesday evening, the governor in a statement by his director of Press, Abdullahi Begi, said “Out of the 926 students in the school, over 50 are still unaccounted for as of the time of this statement. However, the Yobe State Government has continued to receive information about some of the girls being found in the general area to which they escaped.
“Yobe State Government is working with the Nigerian Army and other security and law enforcement agencies to ensure that all students in the school are fully accounted for.
“As the public is aware, the students were helped by their teachers to escape through the night to the surrounding bush and villages as the terrorists stormed the town last Monday.
The State is coordinating with the army and law enforcement to ensure that those girls are returned safely .
“The Yobe State Government has no credible information yet as to whether any of the schoolgirls was taken hostage by the terrorists.
“His Excellency Governor Ibrahim Gaidam is deeply saddened and outraged by the unfortunate event and has directed that all relevant personnel and agencies work closely with the army and other security organisations to address the situation.
“The Yobe State Government assures parents and the school community that it will do everything necessary to ensure that all the missing girls are found and returned to their school and families and that security is improved in the area.”