The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National New Media Group (PDP-NNMG) has described the abduction and release of 76 out of the 110 Dapchi School Girls as a means of raising fund for President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection, demanding from the federal government how much was paid as ransom for the release of the girls.

The PDP-NNMG, which said “those who facilitated the abduction of the girls simply facilitated their return’ alleged that about $20 million, was paid for the release of the girls, saying that it was painful that those placed in authority in the country had become so heartless to the extent of framing abduction of innocent school girls to raise fund for the reelection of president Buhari as well as for their own personal use.

Reacting to reported release of girls, PDP-NNMG in a release signed by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Edoko Wilson Edoko, demanded from the federal government the actual amount paid to the Boko Haram insurgents to secure the release of the girls and how much the facilitators got.

The group sympathized with parents of five of the girls that reportedly died and congratulated parents of those that returned alive.

The statement read in part; “The reported release of the abducted Dapchi School Girls, as gladdening as it is still leaves much to be desired as there are more questions than answers.

“Even though we sympathize with parents of five of the girls that reportedly died and congratulate parents of the other girls that returned alive, we wish to ask the APC led federal government how anyone could be so sure that girls purportedly abducted by Boko Haram will be released at a particular time if not that such a person was working hand-in-hand with the adductors. 

“Nigerians should be reminded that the Governor Yobe state Governor, Ibrahim Geidam said publicly that military checkpoints were withdrawn from Dapchi and other towns days before the abduction of the 110 students of Government Girls Science Technical College, Dapchi. 

“Also, Human Rights Group, Amnesty International said in its report that security forces failed to act on advance warnings that a convoy of Boko Haram fighters was heading to Dapchi town and that the military failed to respond while the insurgents carried out the abduction of the school girls.

“Furthermore, while fielding questions on Dateline Abuja, a Channels Television’s programme which aired on Saturday, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said the abducted school girls will be released this week and true to his words, the girls were released.

“What all these point to is that that there is complicity in high places as to the abduction and release of the girls and it should be clear to discerning minds that the abduction of the girls was only used to enrich some heartless Nigerians and also justify the looting of our treasury for the funding of President Buhari’s reelection. 

“We therefore call on the international community, especially the Transparency International (TI) to help Nigerians in further exposure of the looting of their collective wealth under the guise of fighting Boko Haram insurgency.”

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has congratulated parents of the abducted Dapchi Girls that were released today and sympathized with parents of five of the girls that reportedly died, describing the abduction of the girls as an indictment on the federal government and their release as “drama scripted by the government and its agents to swindle Nigerians.”

Fayose, while reacting to the release of the abducted school girls, said; “This appears like an arranged abduction and an arranged release, but we thank God that the innocent girls have returned home and we condole with parents of those that died.”
In a statement issued on Wednesday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was strange that the girls could be brought back to Dapchi by their abductors without the security agents knowing when they were returned and who returned them.
He said; “Curiously, the same spirit who made sure that all military checkpoints in Dapchi and other surrounding towns were removed to pave way for abduction of the girls also made sure that the girls were returned without any security agent seeing them.

“One can only be hopeful that the real script writers behind this drama will be exposed one day.
“Nigerians should recall that the Governor of Yobe state, Ibrahim Geidam said that military checkpoints were withdrawn from Dapchi and other communi