Dear compatriots, 1. It has become necessary for me to
address you on the recent spate of
terrorist activities and protracted
security challenges in some parts of
the country, particularly in Borno,
Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau and most recently
Bayelsa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa
states. These unfortunate events have
led to needless loss of lives and
property of many innocent Nigerians
including members of our security forces. 2. The recent killing of security
operatives by a cult group in Nasarawa
state is particularly condemnable. I
have directed that no effort or
expense be spared in identifying and
bringing to justice all those who had a hand in the killing of the operatives. 3. The activities of insurgents and
terrorists have been reprehensible,
causing fear among our citizens and a
near-breakdown of law and order in
parts of the country, especially the
North. We have taken robust steps to unravel and address the root causes of
these crises, but it would appear that
there is a systematic effort by
insurgents and terrorists to
destabilize the Nigerian state and test
our collective resolve. 4. Since I returned to the country after
cutting short my visit to South Africa
and aborting a planned state visit to
Namibia, I have received detailed
briefings from our security agencies.
These briefings indicate that what we are facing is not just militancy or
criminality, but a rebellion and
insurgency by terrorist groups which
pose a very serious threat to national
unity and territorial integrity. Already,
some northern parts of Borno state have been taken over by groups whose
allegiance is to different flags and
ideologies. 5. These terrorists and insurgents
seem determined to establish control
and authority over parts of our beloved
nation and to progressively overwhelm
the rest of the country. In many places,
they have destroyed the Nigerian flag and other symbols of state authority
and in their place, hoisted strange
flags suggesting the exercise of
alternative sovereignty. 6. They have attacked government
buildings and facilities. They have
murdered innocent citizens and state
officials. They have set houses ablaze,
and taken women and children as
hostages. These actions amount to a declaration of war and a deliberate
attempt to undermine the authority of
the Nigerian state and threaten her
territorial integrity. As a responsible
government, we will not tolerate this. 7. Previously, we adopted a multi-
track approach to the resolution of
this problem through actions which
included persuasion, dialogue and
widespread consultation with the
political, religious and community leaders in the affected states. 8. We exercised restraint to allow for
all efforts by both State Governors and
well-meaning Nigerians to stop the
repeated cases of mindless violence. 9. Yet, the insurgents and terrorists
seek to prevent government from
fulfilling its constitutional obligations
to the people as they pursue their
fanatical agenda of mayhem, mass
murder, division and separatism. 10. While the efforts at
persuasion and dialogue will continue,
let me reiterate that we have a sacred
duty to ensure the security and well-
being of all our people and protect the
sovereign integrity of our country. Therefore, we shall, on no account, shy
away from doing whatever becomes
necessary to provide the fullest
possible security for the citizens of
this country in any part of the country
they choose to reside. 11. We have a duty to
stand firm against those who threaten
the sovereign integrity of the Nigerian
state. Our will is strong, because our
faith lies in the indivisibility of
Nigeria. 12. Following recent
developments in the affected states, it
has become necessary for Government
to take extraordinary measures to
restore normalcy. After wide
consultations, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the
provisions of Section 305, sub-section
1 of the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended,
I hereby declare a State of Emergency
in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. 13. Accordingly, the Chief
of Defence Staff has been directed to
immediately deploy more troops to
these states for more effective
internal security operations. The
troops and other security agencies involved in these operations have
orders to take all necessary action,
within the ambit of their rules of
engagement, to put an end to the
impunity of insurgents and terrorists. 14. This will include the
authority to arrest and detain
suspects, the taking of possession and
control of any building or structure
used for terrorist purposes, the lock-
down of any area of terrorist operation, the conduct of searches,
and the apprehension of persons in
illegal possession of weapons. 15. The details of this
Proclamation will be transmitted to
the National Assembly in accordance
with the provisions of the
Constitution. But in the meantime, let
me make it clear that within the purview of this Proclamation, the
Governors and other political office
holders in the affected states will
continue to discharge their
constitutional responsibilities. 16. I urge the political
leadership in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa states to co-operate
maximally with the Armed Forces and
the Police to ensure that the exercise
succeeds. We call on the citizenry to co-operate with our security agencies
to ensure a return to normalcy within
the shortest possible time. 17. I am again
approaching our neighbouring
countries, through diplomatic
channels, as done in the recent past,
for their co-operation in apprehending
any terrorist elements that may escape across the border. 18. Nigerians are peace-
loving people; these sad events
perpetrated by those who do not wish
our nation well have not changed the
essential character of our people. 19. I want to reassure you
all that those who are directly or
indirectly encouraging any form of
rebellion against the Nigerian state,
and their collaborators; those
insurgents and terrorists who take delight in killing our security
operatives, whoever they may be,
wherever they may go, we will hunt
them down, we will fish them out, and
we will bring them to justice. No
matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror. 20. I am convinced that
with your support and prayers, we
shall overcome these challenges and
together, we will restore every part of
our country to the path of peace,
growth and development. Long live the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.