The Secretary to the Yobe State Government (SSG), Mohammed Goje, has said all the schoolgirls abducted from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in 2018 have regained their freedom, with the exception of Leah Sharibu, who remains in captivity.
Goje made the disclosure in an interview while reflecting on the seven-year administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni, noting that the Dapchi abduction was largely resolved before the current government assumed office in 2019.
According to the SSG, the release of the abducted schoolgirls had already been secured prior to the inauguration of the Buni administration, leaving Leah Sharibu as the only victim yet to regain her freedom.
“For the Dapchi girls, except for Leah Sharibu, who, I believe, is still in captivity, the Dapchi girls have all been rescued even before 2019. So, that story is a past one because all of them regained their freedom before this administration came on board,” Goje said.
Leah Sharibu was among the 110 schoolgirls kidnapped by insurgents during an attack on the Dapchi school in February 2018.
While the remaining girls were released about a month after the abduction, Sharibu was reportedly held back after refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
Her continued captivity has remained a source of national and international concern, with repeated calls on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to secure her release.
Goje reiterated that the current Yobe State administration remains focused on consolidating security and development across the state, while acknowledging that Sharibu’s prolonged captivity remains an unresolved humanitarian issue.
