Muslim groups flay Boko Haram for abducting schoolgirls

Call for immediate rescue mission
Concerned Islamic groups have flayed the abduction of 110 students of Government Girls Science School, Dapchi, Yobe State, urging the Federal Government to swing into action to rescue all abductees of the dreaded group.

The groups, which include Nasrul Lahi l Fatih Society (NASFAT); The Muslims Congress, and the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), in separate statements made available to The Guardian, said nothing must be spared to secure the immediate release of the girls, while the rescue mission must be total and uncompromising.

President NASFAT, Engr. Kamil Yomi Bolarinwa, commiserated with the parents of the abducted schoolgirls.

He said: ”We are in pains at understanding the motivation of the current action of the terrorist group who definitely are not Muslims and do not represent Islam. We deeply share the pains, trauma and the agony of the distraught parents of these hapless school children.

“The recent sad incident certainly evokes anxieties and trepidation, against the background of the similar occurrence of abduction of 276 students of Chibok Girls Secondary School in April 2014”.

Bolarinwa said further: “While we acknowledge the seriousness with which the current administration has combated terrorism, we state that a lot still needs to be done as we had thought an incident like this will never happen again in any part of the Nigeria territory”.

For this administration, he said this abduction may have practically rubbished its modest achievements and progress in restoring peace to the North East. As a matter of fact, this latest abduction has occured while this administration was celebrating the release of three UNIMAID lecturers and ten other female captives by the insurgents through intense negotiation.

Amir, TMC, Dr Lukman AbdurRaheem, said: “This incident is unfortunate and disheartening when those abducted in Chibok have not been fully released. A thousand and one questions beg for answers! Are politicians playing politics with our lives? Where is the Governor as the Chief Security Officer of Yobe with huge security vote? Is the Police Commissioner sleeping? Where were the military men seconded to that axis? Is this a case of the fifth columnist in action?

“It is our considered opinion that those in the positions of power should learn from history and be alive to their responsibilities. To whom much is given, much is expected. We have surrendered our liberty to government and we pay taxes for running the state. It is therefore important for our lives and property to be protected. Nigerian military by abandoning that spot, has by error allowed the enemies of the state to gain upper hand in the battle for control. The incident calls for urgent investigation,” he said.

TMC therefore urged the Federal Government to be courageous by giving a 15-day ultimatum to the Nigerian Military and other security agencies to return all the missing girls alive.

“We believe it has enough personnel, intelligence and firepower greater than the dissidents that carried out this heinous crime,” he said.

Director, MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said: “Boko Haram terrorists have proved that they have nothing in common with Nigerian Muslims. The abduction of Dapchi school girls is a flagrant violation of Islamic rules of engagement which forbid attacks on women, children and old people during hostilities. Islamic rules concerning wars are so humane that even trees and livestock belonging to the enemy must be spared.

“But as usual, Boko Haram manifested ignorance of Islamic etiquette by attacking an educational institution where young girls are concentrated. The forceful kidnap of 276 Chibok girls on 14th April, 2014 readily comes to mind and the various acts of forceful conversion and marriage of some of the girls remain objectionable, and alien to the tenets of Islam.

He therefore called for an urgent investigation into the withdrawal of troops from Dapchi barely a week before the attack.