The Nigerian military has insisted on the extension of emergency rule in the three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe ravaged by insurgency, the Senate disclosed yesterday.
Senate’s spokesperson, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, disclosed this after a marathon closed door meeting between the Upper Legislative Chamber and Service Chiefs which lasted almost eight hours.
The meeting which started at about 11:12am and lasted till 6:10pm had in attendance the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Adesola Amosun, and the Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Mr. Ita Ekpeyong, all of whom briefed the senate on military operations in the three affected states.
Recall that the senate was last week divided over President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent emergency rule extension request on Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, respectively.
Some Northern senators, particularly from the north east region, had kicked against the president’s extension request on the strength that same had so far failed to resolve the problem of insurgency as well as put an end to the terror attacks perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect since its declaration over eighteen months ago.
The lawmakers against the backdrop therefore urged the federal government to seek alternative means besides emergency rule towards confronting insurgency in the affected states.
But the Senate spokesperson, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, while briefing journalists on the meeting between the senate and service chiefs stated that the military considered an extension of emergency rule as the country’s best bet at ridding the north east of insurgency.
The lawmaker said the military’s decision to opt for a state of emergency on the three north east states was just so as to assist the conduct of operations towards ensuring a quick resolution of the problem.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, he said: “The fact that they are capable of dealing with the insurgency means that the Senate will do all it needs to within its power to support the military so that we can bring this insurgency to a quick resolution.
“We also found from their briefing that we have some problems which has to do with the troop levels and the level of equipment and of course, all the other ancillary problems where you have to fight an asymmetrical war, not a formal conflict and we are very glad that that the military is at this moment, gearing up itself to be able to deal with this asymmetrical conflict in the north-east of Nigeria.”
