Some youths from Northern Nigeria, under the auspices of Northern Youths Movement (NYM) has accused the Nigerian military of complicity in the abduction of over 300 students of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS), Jangebe, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
NYM made the allegation in a press release issued in Abuja during the weekend signed by its Chairman, Mallam Ishaya Jato.
In the statement, the youths called for the removal of the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Babagana Monguno (rtd).
“It is on record that at about 11pm 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 1am, two hours after the military men came.”
He noted that the military authorities does not want banditry to end in the North-West, as well as Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East due to pecuniary benefits.
The statement reads in part:
“It is on record that at about 11pm 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 1am, two hours after the military men came.
“Also, there is a military checkpoint located not more than 100 metres from the school.
“Why was it that there was 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 11pm?
“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, Sgt Hamza Sulaiman was killed?
“We are also aware of the request for the release of $1 billion by the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Babagana Monguno.
“This is apart from the $1 billion taken from the Excess Crude Account in 2017 and budgetary allocation for the military in the 2021 Budget.
“It is on record that all Governors from the Northwest, apart from Governor Nasir El-Rufai opposed this demand.
“This latest attack therefore appears to us as an orchestrated effort to drive home that demand by the NSA for $1 billion.
“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,” it concluded.
