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Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule - Politics - Nairaland

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Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule by bcomputer101: 7:02am On May 12, 2013
The North on Friday vowed to oppose any plan to
impose a state of emergency in any of the region's
crisis torn states.
Borno, Yobe and a few northern states have
experienced sporadic violence in the past few
weeks.
Over 55 people including policemen and prison
officials were killed in Bama, Borno State, last week,
after suspected Boko Haram insurgents launched
several attacks on the town. A few days later, over
185 people were killed in the Baga area of the state
with thousands of houses destroyed.
There were reports that President Goodluck
Jonathan, who cut short a foreign trip to tackle the
insecurity challenge, might declare a state of
emergency in some of the troubled states.
The Presidency on Saturday said the Federal
Government was studying the situation in the
affected states.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said, "The Federal
Government is studying the situations in the affected
states and would take decisions that would be in the
overall interest of the security of not just the people
of the states affected but also of the country.
Declaration of state of emergency is a serious thing
that should not be speculated about."
However, the Arewa Consultative Forum, the
Northern Elders' Forum and other stakeholders, who
spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH, said they would resist
attempts by the Federal Government to apply more
force in the bid to quell the insurgency of the region.
They insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan
should stick to the plan to grant total amnesty to
members of the sect, just the way it was granted to
Niger Delta militants.
The ACF said the recent aggressiveness in attacks by
Boko Haram members should not warrant a
declaration of a state of emergency.
ACF spokesman, Mr. Anthony Sani, said the forum,
which is the apex socio-cultural group in the North,
had resolved that the recurring violence in region
could only be halted by dialogue, thus its opposition
to emergency rule.
He said, "I believe the hike in attacks recently, if by
the sect, is their own way of playing hard (to get), so
that they can secure the best of terms in the ensuing
dialogue. You seem to forget what brought about the
hankering for dialogue: It was because the use of
force had not delivered the desired results. If
military might were successful in campaigns against
terrorism, nobody would talk about dialogue.
"I want to appeal to Nigerians of all religions,
political colorations and of all regions to please give
the government and the amnesty a chance."
Similarly, the Northern Elders' Forum described
speculations about emergency rule in parts of the
North as wrongheaded.
The northern elders advised the Federal Government
to follow through with the plan to grant amnesty to
Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for
most of the violent attacks in the region.
The spokesman of NEF, Dr. Paul Unongo, said the
Federal Government could not justify a state of
emergency in the North, since such a measure wasn't
introduced in the South-South states at the peak of
the violence unleashed on the region by Niger Delta
militants.
He said, "Government did not declare a state of
emergency in the states in Niger Delta. General
amnesty was declared and those who wanted to take
advantage of it were asked to come out and lay
down their arms and get some booties.
"Anybody calling for the declaration of a state of
emergency in the North will not be able to justify it.
Amnesty has worked in Nigeria. It can still work."
The National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern
Politicians, Academics, Professionals and
Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, also warned
the Federal Government not to declare a state of
emergency in any part of the North.
He said, "Some people in the Peoples Democratic
Party that are talking about state of emergency are
just playing politics because most of the states
affected are not PDP states. Borno, Yobe and
Nasarawa are not PDP states, only Taraba is. Any
declaration now will be nothing but a political
manoeuvre to impose the unpopular PDP mandate
on these states, which did not vote for PDP in the last
election."
The Second Republic lawmaker said a declaration of
state of emergency was the reaction of a failing
government.
"There is something suspicious about declaring a
state of emergency. The people proposing a state of
emergency should give us good reasons. This is
because, clearly, government has failed in its
fundamental duty. This government has failed
woefully."
Junaid's view was also echoed by the National
Assembly on Friday. The Senate and the House of
Representatives ruled out a state of emergency as a
solution to the crises in some northern states.
They said an emergency rule would be "premature."
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and
Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, told SUNDAY
PUNCH that lawmakers would not be in a hurry to
initiate any call for a state of emergency.
He said it might heat up the polity the more and
compound the situation.
"While our committees are working, the House
cannot jump the gun to call for a state of emergency.
"We have to wait to receive the reports of our
committees, then we take it up from there.
"For now, a state of emergency is premature," he
added.
Leader of the Senate, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba,
told one our correspondents on Friday on the phone,
that the violent killings in parts of the North were not
enough to warrant the declaration of a state of
emergency.
"A state of emergency is an extreme measure which
should be applied as a last resort. The security
agencies can handle it and I think they are already
on top of the situation," he said.
Also in opposition to emergency rule, the Congress
for Progressive Change, which is the ruling party in
Nassarawa State, warned the Federal Government
against declaring a state of emergency in the state.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr.
Rotimi Fashakin, said though the party condemned
the killings of policemen in the state by a militia
group, it would be wrong to use that as a pretext to
declare a state of emergency.
Meanwhile, the Governor of the state, Mr. Tanko Al-
Makura, has vowed that those behind the killings of
the policemen will be brought to book.
The governor, who spoke in a telephone interview
with one of our correspondents on Friday, assured
the families of the dead policemen that their
husbands would not die in vain.
"We would get those behind the killings of these
heroes. We would not stop at anything to get them.
Wherever they are hiding, we would get them," he
said.
On the possibility of declaring a state of emergency
in his state, he said, "Governance has not collapsed
in the state to warrant that."
Our correspondents also learnt that northern
governors had also vowed to resist attempts to
impose a state of emergency on any state in the
region.
An aide to one of the governors, who spoke to
SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday, said his boss and some of
his colleagues were aware of the plan.
He said, "We are aware that certain individuals will
want to profit politically from the current sad events
in parts of the North, but we will stop them.
"The solution to this problem is not the declaration of
a state of emergency but the implementation of the
various panel reports and government white papers
which government has not had the courage to
implement.
"When Governor Ahmed Makarfi issued a White
Paper and implemented the panel recommendations
on the Kaduna crisis, the problem in the state
stopped. We cannot continue to play the ostrich
when our house is on fire."
Meanwhile, the Army has set up a board of inquiry
to investigate the role of soldiers in the recent
killings in Bama and Baga.
SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that the investigation team
led by a Major General had started work.
However, our correspondents couldn't get the details
of the mandate of the new committee on Friday.
Efforts made to reach the Director of Army, Brig.-
Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, were not successful as calls
placed to his mobile telephone line did not go
through.
Also the Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen.
Chris Olukolade, could not be reached on his mobile
phone.

Source: mobile.punchng.com/output.php?link=http://www.punchng.com/news/insecurity-north-opposes-emergency-rule/
Re: Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule by Aifey(m): 7:09am On May 12, 2013
Boko haram has bein a tool n vehicle of terrorism by govt. It is bein used 2divert attention over d years by Gej. Can u imagin a small group overcomin d military n jtf? No bvody talks about bad road, unemployment, health care n the near collapse education system. This isn't a case of taliban n alqueda which isbein funded by US n obama just 2fight n drill d oil n natural resources in islamic land.
Re: Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule by Hardfact: 8:26am On May 12, 2013
Think SOE should put govt in better position to tackle the security problem. Yet corrupt northern leaders will oppose it being major part of the problem.
Re: Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule by austinsmat(m): 8:48am On May 12, 2013
northerners which way again-: amnesty shekau say no-: jtf arewa shouting genocide. better put ur house in order or face state of emergency, pls stop pulling nigeria backward
Re: Insecurity: North Opposes State Of Emergency Rule by Dospix(m): 11:03am On May 12, 2013
Aifey: Boko haram has bein a tool n vehicle of terrorism by govt. It is bein used 2divert attention over d years by Gej. Can u imagin a small group overcomin d military n jtf? No bvody talks about bad road, unemployment, health care n the near collapse education system. This isn't a case of taliban n alqueda which isbein funded by US n obama just 2fight n drill d oil n natural resources in islamic land.
You speak cluelessly with no substantive proof to back up your claim. Your baseless an meaningful comment just confirms how ignorant you are. Pls sir, if you have nothing to show or back up your comment, please don't bother to reply me.

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