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Dapchi girls’ parents protest in Abuja

In a move that coincided with the International Women’s Day, parents of the abducted students of Government Girls Technical Science School, Dapchi, Yobe State, on Thursday, 8/3/2018 trooped out to protest the continued stay of their children in captivity.
They stormed the National Assembly with majority of them crying.
Boko Haram attacked the school on February 19 and went away with 110 girls.
The attack came a week after the military withdrew from the school.
During the protest, they urged the government to help rescue the students.
They blamed the abduction on the inefficiency of the security agencies.
Among the protesters was one Yahaya Taributu.
Three of her daughters we among the girls abducted.
She said if the troops had not withdrawn from the area the terrorists would not have attacked the school.
“We don’t know why government had to withdraw the soldiers, but we believe that government knows better. We cannot, and will not rest, over this matter, until we meet four eyes with our daughters,” she said.
Another mother of one of the abducted girls, Aisha Alhaji Bukar, wept endlessly.
“Even now, if you go to Dapchi, you can carry mothers, fathers and all their children into captivity unchallenged. Dapchi is not safe,” said Hajiya Bukar.
The Senate also focused on the abduction of the Dapchi girls on Thursday as it summoned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, and the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, to brief it on the strategies to be deployed to ensure the safe return of the girls.
The Senate expressed concern over the inability to rescue the girls since they were kidnapped by the terrorists group, Boko Haram.
The summon resulted from the adoption of a motion moved by Senator Binta Garba (APC, Adamawa State) during plenary to that effect.
Deputy Minority Whip, Biodun Olujimi, read the motion on behalf of Garba.
The motion was moved on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
Addressing the issue of women on the occasion of the commemoration, Garba said there was need to do everything possible to allow women access to good education and working environment.
Particularly, she said, they must be protected from violence whether in schools or at the work place.
Her words:  “The implementation of policies that prohibit violence against women and girls and promote the girl-child education is still very poor.
“Practices such as violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual and other types of exploitation, early child and forced marriage, female genital mutilation are still being practised.
“A pattern is gradually being established which clearly indicates that the objectives of the Boko Haram insurgents is to deprive young girls of school age from pursuing education.”
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided at the plenary agreed that women deserved to be celebrated in view of their uniqueness.
He added that they had achieved enough to be deserving of praises.
* Source: The Next Edition