DAPCHI GIRLS AND THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES
For the nation to avoid a repeat of this, government needs to be more transparent. Every government makes mistakes
ransom for the return of the girls.
It said: “The greater concern, for now, is when the girls be returned. Was any ransom paid for the ones released? Will Nigerians later discover that huge swaths of national revenue have been spirited away into a 2019 election war chest in the name of Boko haram and Dapchi girls? We fear the worst from the APC government of the day, because of its track record of perfidy.
“Issues of national security should not be handled with the lackadaisical attitude that has become the norm in Nigeria today. The primary purpose of government should not being served in the breach here.
“While we rejoice at the limited good news of return of the girls and the marginal success on the Dapchi saga, we are quick to say that this this is not good enough. The SDP maintains that our beloved country should be seen to be part of a 21st Century world that is defined by efficient institutions of state and effective national security.”
Trust him not to miss an opportunity like this to take a swipe at both the Presidency and the APC, Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose also joined the fray. Through his twitter account @ GovAyoFayose he described the abduction and the release of the girls as a well-orchestrated plot to dupe and swindle Nigerians by the federal government.
First, he said the abduction of the girls was an indictment on the federal government. He then wondered why neither the army nor the police was on the ground when the insurgents entered Dapchi community to kidnap as well as when they returned the girls.
He nevertheless, joined the parents of the released girls to celebrate their return. He however, said: “The abduction of the girls is an indictment on the FG & their release is no doubt a drama scripted by the government and its agents to swindle Nigerians.
“Is it not 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 prayed that those who orchestrated the kidnapping and release of the Dapchi girls would be exposed.
To support the conspiracy theory, some went further by citing an old photograph shown some girls in pink hijabs carrying with them ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags as the Dapchi girls. Those who posted the picture demanded to know how the girls came about the bags.
After a careful investigation however, it turned out that this photograph had nothing to do with Dapchi girls. Unfortunately, however, many had been misled into believing that the photograph in issue supported the conspiracy theory. No. Those who had misled Nigerians with this picture which had been in circulation before the girls were released should be bold enough to admit they made a mistake and correct the wrong impression. The lesson is clear: don’t believe everything you find on the Internet.
FG Rejects Conspiracy
In its reaction to the claim that the abduction and subsequent release of the girls were stage-managed, the federal government accused the PDP of plumbing the depths of infamy for making the allegation.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulation portrayed the PDP as an inhuman, insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthy party.
He said since the release of the Dapchi girls were negotiated by friendly countries and reputable international organizations.
According to hi, it would have taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the adoption and release of the girls.
Mohammed said the reaction of the PDP amounted to an expression of sour grapes, especially because the party failed woefully - when it was in power - to quickly resolve a similar abduction of schoolgirls.
‘’As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchi schoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share of tragedies. What makes the difference is the way such tragedies are managed. Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Government acted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted 19 Feb. 2018, hence their quick release,’’ he said.
The minister said it was unfortunate that the PDP that failed woefully as a ruling party had also failed grievously as an opposition party, going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of the Dapchi schoolgirls - a development, he said, called for non-partisan celebration.
‘’In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance as cluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crude exhibition of power. In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in a democracy. How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learnt its lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again? Nigerians must say ‘never again’ to this primitive and soulless party,’’ he said.
Mohammed said the federal government had not been responding to the amateurish and jejune statements from the PDP precisely because the party had failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party, ‘’even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role of the opposition in a democracy.
‘’We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itself and scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulated the government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or just keep quiet,’’ he said.
The minister assured Nigerians that the federal government would intensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and return them safely to their families, just like over 100 other Chibok girls who had so far been released, unlike the PDP that could not secure the release of even one of the girls before it was booted out of power.
What is Fuelling the Conspiracy
Why is it so easy for people to turn a national tragedy of this magnitude into a conspiracy theory? To begin with, there are enough blames to go round.
Be More Transparent
First, the allegation and counter-allegation that the army withdrew from the area where the kidnapping took place was not well-handled by the government. For instance, there were claims that calls were made to alert the security operatives of the presence of Boko Haram in Dapchi before the abduction, but there was no response. Both allegations were not categorically denied by the government and yet no efforts had been made to explain the true position. A lacuna such as this gives room for suspicion and helps those who want to develop a conspiracy theory to do so. Rather than coming out with a harmonised position that would resolve any doubt, both the army and the police engaged in needless blame game while the Presidency watched helplessly.
When government leaves too many holes to be filled, people will fill them and come up with their own theory of what they think happened. For the nation to avoid a repeat of this, government needs to be more transpar- ent. Every government makes mistakes. This government should be bold enough to say, we make so so mistakes and the insurgents take advantage of this.
It is commendable that the government has been categorical in saying that no ransom was paid and that a deal was struck based on an earlier agreement. Similarly, it should not be too much to tell Nigerians the friendly countries that helped to negotiate the release of the girls before this omission leads to another conspiracy theory.
Allow Access to the Girls
There have been reports that rescued Chibok girls were being shielded from the public. A government that has nothing to hide has no reason to shield girls returned by the insurgents. Let the girls be free to narrate their ordeal and share their experiences. This will further clear whatever doubts and help those seeking answers to find them.
Tough Security Measures
One other reason people don’t want to believe that the kidnapping actually took place is the ease with which the insurgents can drive in, take the girls and drive away to a place that the federal government can not locate. It sounds like a fairytale. Given the number of girls taken, the ease with which this is done makes people to question the security arrangement in the country. It also makes the country to look like a banana republic.
Protect the Borders
For sentimental reason, this government is unwilling to take on the challenge of protecting the nation’s borders. The reality however, is that except the borders are protected, the country will remain unsafe. The argument that the ECOWAS treaty on free movement of people prevents government from protecting the borders is not tenable. No one is asking the federal government to close the border but we must at least know the people coming into the country for further monitoring and follow up. Until the border issue is resolved, we will simply be waiting for another disaster to happen. It is not a matter of whether it will happen, it is when it will happen.
For the nation to avoid a repeat of this, government needs to be more transparent. Every government makes mistakes