Yobe commends FG, DHQ for prompt response to terrorist attack

Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State has commended the Federal
Government and the Defence Headquarters for their prompt response to
the weekend terrorist attack on a secondary school in the state.
It would be recalled that gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko
Haram sect, attacked the Government Secondary School, Mamudo, killing
24 students, a teacher and an Islamic preacher.
The commendation was contained in a statement issued on Thursday in
Abuja by Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence
Information at the Defence Headquarters.
The statement said that the governor gave the commendation when he
received the Defence Headquarters fact-finding team in his office in
Damaturu.
Geidam said he was happy with government’s prompt response by sending
the fact-finding team to the state.
The statement said: “The governor noted that the gesture was the first of its kind in response to a disaster in the state.
“He also declared that the Joint Task Force deployed in the state was
doing its best in addressing the security challenges.”
It quoted the governor as saying that the incident in Mamudo was an
unfortunate and painful disaster.
It noted that the school was situated in a forested environment, hence the action of the terrorists who exploited the situation to attack the school and the defenceless students.
Geidam said such places would require extraordinary protection, and
called for appropriate strategies to tackle security challenges in
such localities.
The statement said that the governor requested the military
authorities to reconsider outage of GSM telephones, as it would help
people pass information to security agencies in the light of the
security situation.
Geidam stated that his administration “realises the importance of
peace as there is no alternative to peace,” adding that the state
would continue to support the activities and operations of the JTF.
The statement said that the leader of the DHQ team, Major General
Collins Ariahu, had informed the governor that the team was in the
state to assess the deployment of the JTF troops.
Ariahu said the team was also in the state to know the requirements of
the JTF to carry out their task in forestalling any breach of security
in the state.
The statement said: “He conveyed the sympathy and condolences of the
Chief of Defence Staff to the government and people of Yobe on the
loss of lives occasioned by the terrorist attacks on the school and
other locations.”
Ariahu said the outcome of the fact-finding mission would be presented
for due analysis and action by the DHQ, with a view to enhancing the
capacity of the forces to prevent or respond to similar occurrences in
the future.
He assured that the forces would remain committed to discharging their
duties with efficiency.
The statement said that the team had earlier interacted with community
leaders, local government officials and education authorities.
It said that the team also interacted with teachers in Mamudo and its
environs to obtain necessary information.