Strong indications emerged at the weekend, that Senators, who were initially opposed to the extension of the emergency rule in the insurgency ravaged parts of North-East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, are beginning to soft-pedal on their earlier hard stance that further extension should be rejected.

This is as the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Most Rev. Dr. Chukwuemeka Uche, has raised alarm that the yet-to-return Chibok girls are being used as suicide bombers by Boko Haram insurgents,
The Senators, mainly representatives of the Senatorial districts from the Northern geo-political zones, had kicked against further emergency rule as the previous extensions approved by the National Assembly, had not achieved the desired result of containing the violent activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in those areas, rather the situation had worsened.

Northern Senators like Ali Muhammed Ndume (APC, Bornu South), Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan (APC, Yobe North); Kabir Garba Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central) and Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya (APC, Kano South), were in the forefront, early last week, in the opposition to the extension of the emergency rule.

Lawan particularly said: "Many of us are opposed to it; I am particularly vehemently opposed to it.

I believe that we should explore other avenues, but some other people feel differently... If they (Service Chiefs) are able to answer our questions, then we can take the next step".

Another senator, Kabiru Gaya, in his reaction, said, "Many of us are opposed to it and I am particularly opposed to it.

"I believe that we should explore other avenues; but, some other people feel differently".

However, Sunday Independent gathered at the weekend, that the hard line Senators have already caved in from their initial opposition to the emergency rule extension to support the idea, following pressure and plea from the Senate President, David Mark, late last week, who was said to convinced the irate lawmakers on the need to lend their support to the plans by the upper chamber to okay the extension when the Senate reconvenes to deliberate on the matter on Wednesday.

A top member of the Senate leadership told Sunday Independent that Mark also appealed to the opposition Senators from the All Progressives Congress (APC), who were sympathetic to the Northern Senator's position, to consider the national interest, and unanimously support the extension when the issue comes up on Tuesday or Wednesday at plenary.

The rigid Senators from the North, this paper learnt, are now said to be also cooperating, following what one of them told Sunday Independent on Saturday, as "new insight into the efforts of the counter-insurgency federal forces in the zone, explained to us (Senators) during the week by the Security Service Chiefs when they met with us in a close door".

The security chiefs, Senate spokesman, Enyinna Abaribe, told newsmen during a briefing shortly after the closed door session last Tuesday, were insisting that the emergency rule should be extended to enable the Nigerian military wage a successful war against the insurgents.

Sunday Independent gathered that following this new understanding, the Senate is set to approve President Goodluck Jonathan's fresh request for the extension of emergency rule despite that fact that the House of Representatives had rejected it penultimate Thursday when the issue was deliberated upon.

Meanwhile, following Amnesty International's (AI) accusation of perpetrating serious human rights abuses in the North Eastern part of the country, the Nigeria military has resolved to avoid such violations as they confront the insurgents.

It would be recalled that Secretary General of Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, had early in the month stated that the global body came to the conclusion that Nigeria was violating human rights following a recent trip by its members to Bornu State.

He said the group was in possession of gruesome video footage, images and testimonies it gathered during the fact-finding mission.

The materials, he added, had provided "fresh evidence of war crimes, including extrajudicial executions, and other serious human rights violations being carried out in North Eastern Nigeria, as the fight by the military against Boko Haram and other armed groups intensifies."

The footage, obtained from numerous sources during the recent trip, he added, revealed graphic evidence of multiple war crimes being carried out in the northern part of Nigeria.

Shetty said the evidence "includes horrific images of detainees having their throats slit one by one and dumped in mass graves by men who appear to be members of the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force, state-sponsored militias.

However, during a chat with Sunday Independent in Abuja, Director, Defence Information, Brig. General Olajide Olaleye, confirmed that areas of focus for the military apart from new operational tactics, are motivation of officers and adherence to human rights issues.

He added that efforts would also be made to ensure effective communication between soldiers and officers on the field and the Military High Command.

Although Olaleye did not respond to question on the specific area of changes expected when it is finally approved, he, however, said "the Army Headquarters believes that an effective two-way vertical and horizontal communication can benefit the system immensely, especially as we confront the nation's security challenges."

While officers and soldiers who excel would be rewarded for such acts of gallantry, he stressed that those who flout or involve in act of mutiny would be punished to instill discipline in the system.

A military source told Sunday Independent that efforts would also be geared at ensuring proactiveness through collaboration with the locals and effective intelligence gathering.

The source also stressed the need for the military to find its way around the Boko Haram politics and corruption, which have been major hindrances to success of the war against terrorism in the North East.

Meanwhile, the Methodist Prelate, Uche, who spoke to Sunday Independent at the weekend in Lagos, warned that considering the increasing number of attacks by female suicide bombers in the troubled North East zone, the abducted Chibok girls might have been used by the sect for destructive missions.

Uche suggested that the girls could have been hypnotised and left with no option, but to kill themselves during suicide missions.
Source: .com.ng

God's know best!

God's knows best!

Me kam, who is this Amnesty International?? Is he out to solve problems or to compound and condemn effort laid to forestall the problems?? Kai!! Ok he should better proffer a more adaptable solution to all this boko or forever hold his peace. I still believe all this state of emergency is a means of money sharing by GEJ n Co. Mtseew, am confused sef.