DAPCHI GIRLS:ATIKU APPLAUDS BUHARI ON SWIFT RESPONSE AND RETURN OF GIRLS

Former Vice President Abubakar Atiku has welcomed the release of Dapchi school girls who were allegedly abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Yobe. In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Atiku said he was gladdened by the return of the girls, adding that some families who had been heartbroken would now have their tears wiped. Atiku, however, said that the grief of parents whose daughters did not return would probably take on a new and more tormenting dimension as they continue to wait and pray for their safe return. Atiku called for a more permanent solution to the problem of kidnapping of girls from schools. He tasked government on redesigning schools to make them more secure from attack, including the addition of safe rooms. “This is a moment of joy for all of us as a nation, we may not all be in Dapchi at the moment, but we are all celebrating with the families, the community and the entire Yobe State. “We cannot continue to allow our daughters to be used as instruments of negotiation, subject to capture and release at the whims of any group. “For the sake of our youth who embody the best of our tomorrow, we must confront this Frankenstein monster. “Working together as a Nation we can and must bring an end to this; not a day must be wasted in finding solutions, we must make it safe so our girls and women in every part of the country can study and flourish in peace,” he said.