In the wake of the abduction and release of some schoolgirls from the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State by Boko Haram, the defence headquarters has said it lacks the capability to protect all the schools in the North East.
The Acting Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. John Agim, made this known on a Channels TV programme monitored on Friday by TheCable.
He said, “The military doesn’t have the manpower to deploy (troops) to all the schools. It is very difficult… it is not possible.
“People don’t know the land mass that we have in the north-east and the number of troops that are deployed in that place. “The land mass is very large.”
In the same vein, Agim absolved the military of complicity in the incidents that led to the kidnap of the girls on February.
Rights group, Amnesty International had earlier in the week accused the military of getting prior information that Boko Haram were in the area where the abduction took place but failed to act.
According to Agim,“Where the military was deployed in Dapchi, they (the troops) were taken away. They were deployed for other assignments. So, it is possible that the Boko Haram can operate in a place for a long time without the military presence.
“They were withdrawn out of Dapchi for another assignment on January 10 and this attack took place on February 19.”