Nigerian army, police argue over who should have protected town where girls disappeared

Nigeria's army and policeon Monday publicly disagreed over the security arrangements thatwere in place in the northeastern town where 110 girls wereabducted by suspected Boko Haram militants.

The army issued a statement in which it said soldiers werewithdrawn from Dapchi, in Yobe state, before the girls were seized from their school in the town by armed insurgents on Feb.19.

The attack was one of the largest abductions since theChibok kidnappings of 2014 in which more than 250 girls were taken by the Islamist militant group. It has prompted questionsabout the ability of security forces to fight insurgents whichthe government has repeatedly said have been defeated.

"Troops earlier deployed in Dapchi were redeployed toreinforce troops at Kanama, following attacks on troops," army spokespersonOnyema Nwachukwu said in an emailed statement. Kanamais a town near the border with Niger some 120 kilometresfromDapchi.

"This was on the premise that Dapchi has been relativelycalm and peaceful and the security of Dapchi town was formallyhanded over to the Nigeria police division located in the town," he said. No details were given of when the redeployment tookplace.

Sumonu Abdulmaliki, Yobe state police commissioner, laterissued a statement saying the claim of a handover was "untrue,unfounded and misleading."

"There was no time that the military informed the police oftheir withdrawal, consulted or handed over their locations in Dapchi town to the police," he said in the emailed statement.

President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged on Monday that thegirls had been abducted and said the government was determinedto rescue them. The authorities had previously referred to thegirls, not seen since the attack on their school, as missing.

"Let me clearly reiterate the resolve of this administrationto ensure all persons abducted by the insurgents are rescued orreleased safely," Buhari said in comments broadcast by statetelevision.

He said security agencies had been ordered to make everyeffort to return "the abducted girls to their families."