THROWBACK: How Shettima Caused Kidnap of Chibok Schoolgirls – WAEC

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) had warned against conducting examinations in unsafe parts of Borno State, including Chibok, before the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, in April 2014.

According to a report published by Premium Times in 2014, WAEC’s then Head of National Office in Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, disclosed that the examination body initially declined to conduct its Senior School Certificate Examination in troubled areas of the North-East because of security concerns.

Eguridu said WAEC had requested that examination centres be relocated to state capitals where adequate security could be provided. However, the governors of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe reportedly assured the examination body that they had made sufficient security arrangements.

According to the WAEC official, the Borno State Government, then led by Kashim Shettima, also declined to relocate students from Chibok to safer locations such as Maiduguri, despite the security concerns raised by the examination body.

Eguridu reportedly told a meeting of women leaders and government officials at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that Shettima had provided written assurances that adequate security would be available for the examinations.

The WAEC official further disclosed that the Borno State Government only agreed to relocate the remaining 189 students after the abduction of the schoolgirls.

The report also revealed that 530 students registered for the WAEC examination at the Chibok centre, comprising 395 girls and 135 boys. The school’s boarding facilities were available only to female students, explaining why the girls were in the dormitory when Boko Haram insurgents attacked on the night of April 14, 2014.

The abduction of the schoolgirls sparked nationwide outrage and international condemnation, with families and campaigners demanding their immediate rescue.

READ ALSO: Nigerians Demand Fresh Investigation Into What Terrorist Kabiru Sokoto Was Doing At Shettima’s Abuja Residence After Killing Hundreds of Citizens

The report raised questions about the Borno State Government’s handling of security warnings before the attack, although the allegations did not establish that Shettima deliberately facilitated the abduction.

Source: Premium Times

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