For the first time in six years, students in Chibok local government area of Borno State are taking part in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Chibok became popular in April, 2014 following the abduction of over 200 school girls from the Government Girls Secondary School by the terrorist group, Biko Haram
Due to this abduction and subsequent attacks by the insurgents; the Federal Government announced complete closure of other schools in the region in order to protect the students from further Boko Haram attacks.
This recent development was contained in a statement issued by the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC); 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Abdul-Khalifa Ibrahim, during a press briefing.
Ibrahim further confirmed that the school where the girls were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists, had been converted to a mixed school.
He said: “It will be gladdening to note that for the first time in the past six years; WAEC successfully held WASSCE in Chibok with the military providing security.
“We are all witnesses to what happened in the recent past like the abduction of the Chibok girls; the slaughtering of students at Buni Yadi, and abduction of students at Dapchi. These happened in the past and we have turned around that narrative.
“Let me equally say that the Chief of Army Staff has been making deliberate efforts through the education corps to post teachers to all schools in the North-East states.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Friday, September 11; urged Nigeria to release the findings of a report on rights abuses by security forces; three years after the government ordered the probe.
The campaigning group has accused security forces of hundreds of extra-judicial killings; rape; torture; as well as enforced disappearances claims the military has always denied.
A presidential panel was set up in 2017 and investigators submitted a report a year later; but it was never released to the public; a decision that Amnesty International described as “a gross display of contempt for victims”.
“Victims and the larger public in Nigeria deserve to see and scrutinise the findings,” said Osai Ojigho; Nigeria director of Amnesty in a statement.
“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil the promise he made in 2015 to end impunity by immediately releasing the report,” he added.
