ECOWAS joins forces against Boko Haram

— Jonathan meets service chiefs, IGP, others

By Ezrel Tabiowo and Abdullahi M. Gulloma, Abuja

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has resolved to invoke necessary sections of its laws, including military might, to fight Boko Haram.
President of Ghana, Mr John Mahama, announced this yesterday when he declared open the 2014 First Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja.

Mahama, who spoke through the Vice President of Ghana, Mr Kwesi Amissah Arthur, said ECOWAS condemned in strong terms the activities of Boko Haram and promised that the sub-regional body would do everything possible to fight the insurgents.

The Ghanian leader fumed: “We condemn in the strongest of terms the continuous killing of innocent Nigerians in parts of the North.
“We shall invoke relevant sections of our laws to fight this crime.

“The recent abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok is reprehensible and so disheartening. No decent society will accept this.”
Mahama urged the ECOWAS Parliament to cooperate and support the governments of the sub-region in the fight against insurgency.
Senate President David Mark, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, told the gathering that the activities of Boko Haram had negatively affected the economic and socio-political life of Nigerians.

He said: “Terrorism and insurgency are alien to our culture. We must therefore stand united against it in all its ramifications. We will continue to seek regional and international collaboration in the fight against these crimes which by their nature are transnational.”

Mark called for understanding to ensure that the West African sub-region, renowned for its unity, cooperation, brotherly love and peaceful coexistence, continues to maintain and improve on this.
Mark said recent events had shown that there was a crescendo of regional security challenges “that requires us to fortify our democratic institutions in order to be able to confront and overcome these issues.”

Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Toga Gayewa Mcintosh, in his remarks, said peace and security are imperative as the bedrock for development and integration in Africa.

Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, promised that the legislature would lay the necessary framework for the governments of the sub-region to tackle the menace of Boko Haram and insurgency.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan yesterday held a crucial meeting with service chiefs and other heads of security agencies in order to review the current security situation in the country.

Those who attended the meeting were the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Sabundu Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Ademola Amosu; Inspector General of Police (IGP),

Mohammed D. Abubakar, and Director-General of State Security Service (SSS), Mr Ita Ekpeyong.
No official statement was issued at the end of the meeting and the security chiefs declined to comment on what transpired.
Sources, however, said the meeting reviewed the current security situation in the country and the decision reached at the regional security summit in Paris, which was attended by President Jonathan.

Presidents Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, Idriss Deby Itno of Chad, Paul Biya of Cameroon and Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic also attended the summit, at the end of which the leaders agreed to build analysis and response capabilities that would contribute to enhancing the security of all populations and the rule of law in the areas affected by Boko Haram’s terrorist activities.

They also agreed to implement coordinated patrols with the aim of putting an end to the attacks by Boko Haram and locating the Chibok schoolgirls who were abducted by the sect more than a month ago.