The Nigerian Senate alongside the leadership of the ruling party, the APC, have debunked insinuation that the release of 101 out of 110 students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State, abducted by Boko Haram terrorists last month was a conspiracy theory.
In their separate reactions to the release of the abducted girls during interview sessions with journalists at the National Assembly complex, on Wednesday in Abuja, the two bodies described it as a welcome development.
Their reactions came just before the commencement of APC Senate Caucus meeting with the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party led by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegunm.
Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan who represents Yobe North Senatorial district, described the girls’ release as a huge relief to the families of the girls, the people of Yobe State and Nigerians generally.
“For us in Yobe State, it is a big relief and a morale booster for the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government in getting all abducted people by Boko Haram release through strategic means and not by force”, he said .
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said “the release of the girls, weeks after their abduction and barely a week after the visit of Mr. President to Dapchi, glaringly shows that we have a working government at hand that can rescue the nation from whatever embarrassment any group or enemies of progress want to inflict on it”. There is nothing conspiratorial about the whole development be it abduction or release as politically being insinuated.”
Mallam Abdullahi further stressed that, “To us in APC and in fact, to Nigerians, the release of the girls is a welcome development and clear indication that the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government is working with required capacity of rising up to any challenges.
Also reacting, a former governor of the state, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, said the abduction and release of the girls by Boko Haram without any encounter with Nigerian security operatives clearly shows that the country is grossly under policed .
According to him, the federal government urgently needs to embark on massive recruitment of unemployed youths into the Police and the military for effective security in the country.
Briefing members of the Senate Press Corps after the meeting which lasted about three hours, the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan confirmed the meeting reviewed all the latest developments in the party.
He also disclosed that the party will soon constitute a team comprising of members of the Executive, the Legislature, NWC of the party, and representatives of the Governors of the 24 states under the ruling party.
According to him, “the special team would work towards resolving all disagreements within the party across the country, in order to avoid any thing that could constitute a clog in the wheel of the party’s progress ahead of the 2019 general election.”
