The Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Mohammed Goje, has said all the schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in 2018 have regained their freedom except Leah Sharibu.
Goje disclosed this in an interview with Arewa Punch on Tuesday while speaking on the seven years of Governor Mai Mala Buni’s administration since 2019.
According to him, the Dapchi abduction is no longer a major issue before the state government because the affected girls, except Sharibu, had been released before the current administration assumed office.
He said, “For the Dapchi girls, except for Leah Sharibu, who, I believe, is still in captivity, the Dapchi girls have all been rescued even before 2019. So, that story is a past one because all of them regained their freedom before this administration came on board.”
Sharibu, a Christian among the 110 schoolgirls abducted by insurgents from the Dapchi school in February 2018, was reportedly held back after refusing to renounce her Christian faith, while the others were released about a month later.
Although there have been unverified reports over the years about her condition, the Federal Government has repeatedly assured Nigerians that efforts to secure her release are ongoing.
The abduction, which occurred on February 19, 2018, drew national and international condemnation and renewed concerns over attacks on schools in the North-East.
While 104 of the girls were released the following month and another was later confirmed dead, Sharibu remains the only known student yet to regain her freedom more than eight years after the incident.
Speaking further, Goje said the Buni administration had prioritised the restoration of security across Yobe State, adding that major progress had been recorded since 2019.
According to him, improved security has made every local government area in the state accessible, unlike the situation when the administration came into office.
“When we came in 2019, the North-East was deeply affected by insurgency. Many communities were inaccessible because of attacks by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups.
“But today, as I speak to you, there is no local government in Yobe State that is inaccessible. You can travel to every local government area, and humanitarian organisations can also access communities that were previously cut off,” he said.
Goje added that security gains had also extended to the ward level, noting that almost all political wards in the state were now accessible.
“Except for a few communities in one ward, virtually all the political wards in Yobe are now accessible. That tells you the level of improvement that has been achieved in terms of security,” he stated.
The SSG maintained that the restoration of peace had enabled displaced residents to return to their ancestral communities.
He said government interventions in agriculture, healthcare, education and livelihoods were helping returnees rebuild their lives.
Goje said the administration had reconstructed damaged public infrastructure, supported farmers with agricultural inputs and mechanisation, expanded healthcare services and introduced empowerment programmes to encourage displaced families to remain in their communities.
“Our priority has been to ensure that people not only return home but are able to rebuild their lives. We reconstructed public facilities, supported farmers, expanded healthcare and introduced empowerment programmes so that returning communities can become self-reliant again,” he said.
Goje also disclosed that Yobe became the first state in Nigeria to domesticate the National Internally Displaced Persons Policy and develop a Durable Solutions Action Plan to guide the resettlement and integration of displaced persons.
According to him, the policy allows displaced persons to decide whether to return to their ancestral communities, remain where they currently live or relocate elsewhere, while the government provides the necessary social services to support their chosen option.
