The Northern Youths Movement (NYM) has accused the military of being complicit in the abduction of over 300 students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Jangebe, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Chairman of the movement, Mallam Ishaya Jato, the youths called for the removal of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno.
According to them, bandits couldn’t have attacked the school, located less than 100 metres to a military checkpoint and abduct over 300 schoolgirls without the military’s knowledge.
They alleged that it has now become evident that the military authority would not want banditry in the North-West and Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East to end because of benefits being derived from it.
“It is on record that at about 11 pm on Thursday, soldiers stormed Jangebe, ordering all the residents to return to their houses immediately. These same soldiers, who stormed the town were nowhere to be found when the bandits invaded the town at about 1 am, two hours after the military men came,” the statement read.
“Also, there is a military checkpoint located not more than 100 metres from the school. The questions are; where were the soldiers who stormed Jangede at about 11 pm on Thursday when the bandits invaded the town two hours later? Why was there no response from the soldiers stationed less than 100 metres to the school?
“For what reason did the soldiers order residents of Jangede to return to their houses at about 11 pm? Were they aware of the bandits’ invasion? Why was it that it was a distance of 400 metres from the school that a Police Officer, Sergeant Hazmat Sulaiman, was killed?”
The group also alleged that efforts to end banditry in the North-West through dialogue and engagement are being frustrated by the military authority due to monetary benefits.
They also called on all well-meaning individuals and groups from the north to speak out and put a permanent stop to kidnappings.
“To us, it appears that efforts to end banditry in the North-West through dialogue and engagement are being frustrated by the military authority because of the money being made and it has gotten to a point when well-meaning individuals and groups from the north should speak out and put a permanent end to killings and kidnappings in our land,” the statement added.
