The Yobe State Government has reaffirmed that Leah Sharibu is the only schoolgirl still being held captive from the 2018 mass abduction at Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi.
Secretary to the State Government, Mohammed Goje, said the remaining abducted students had regained their freedom before Governor Mai Mala Buni assumed office in 2019, adding that Sharibu’s continued captivity remains the only unresolved aspect of the incident.
“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.
Sharibu was among the schoolgirls abducted by insurgents in February 2018. She was reportedly not released with the others after refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Although there have been several reports about her whereabouts over the years, officials say efforts to secure her release have not stopped.
Goje also highlighted improvements in security across Yobe State, saying communities that were once inaccessible due to insurgent attacks can now be reached safely.
“When we came in 2019, the North-East was deeply affected by insurgency. Many communities were inaccessible because of attacks by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups.
“But today, as I speak to you, there is no local government in Yobe State that is inaccessible. You can travel to every local government area, and humanitarian organisations can also access communities that were previously cut off,” he stated.
He said security gains had spread to nearly every political ward in the state, allowing displaced residents to return home and rebuild their lives.
According to the SSG, government interventions in infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education and empowerment programmes have supported the recovery of affected communities.
He added, “Our priority has been to ensure that people not only return home but are able to rebuild their lives. We reconstructed public facilities, supported farmers, expanded healthcare and introduced empowerment programmes so that returning communities can become self-reliant again.”
Goje further disclosed that Yobe was the first state to adopt the National Internally Displaced Persons Policy and develop a Durable Solutions Action Plan aimed at supporting the resettlement and integration of displaced persons.
More than eight years after the Dapchi school abduction, Leah Sharibu remains the only student yet to regain her freedom.
