Some Northern leaders representing the region at the ongoing National Conference yesterday faulted President Goodluck Jonathan for seeking another six months extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
The confab delegates were reacting to the reports that the presidency has sent a request to the National Assembly for the continuity of emergency rule in the Northeast for another six months.
In an interview with Blueprint yesterday at the venue of the conference, Mallam Sule Yahaya Hamma, representing Kano state at the conference, said the state of emergency in the region has outlived its purpose, therefore, there is no justification for an extension.
He said, “I think it is completely unnecessary and unjustifiable because if it was proclaimed in other to ensure security of lives and property, then that has not happened for over one year now. Indeed, more bombs have been thrown in that area, more lives have been lost and unprecedented level of violence in the form of abduction s have been seen, which did not happen before the emergency rule, so, the emergency rule has only helped to facilitate the growth of violence, and perhaps, even the introduction of a new level of violence and crime in form of abductions.”
Also commenting on the issue, another delegate, Dr. Abubakar S. Mohammed, said: “those who have come to assist Nigeria, the Americans, British and the French, are essentially advisers to the Nigerian military on how to go about handling the crisis.
“As for the state of emergency, I don’t know what it is going to achieve which it has not achieved since the last one year. What new elements are they bringing into the fight against Boko Haram? Do they need state of emergency to do that? The president is the chief security officer of the country, he is the commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, infact, he took over the issue of security in all those states and yet, what is the result? What have we achieved? Honestly I don’t think there is a need for state of emergency before the Armed Forces protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”
He therefore called on the National Assembly members to disregard the request, saying “if I am a member, I will not vote in support.”
Also reacting, Eng. Buba Galadima, representing Yobe at the conference said ordinarily there wouldn’t have been anything wrong about the extension but according to him, experience has shown that there is even no need for the emergency in the first place.
He said, “It is even in the interest of the states and Nigeria for the state of emergency to be lifted and the security forces in those states liaise, cooperate and share information with the government and local governments in those states so that this matter can be tackled professionally because we have seen that the state of emergency has been in place for one year and yet it has not stopped these sporadic attacks on innocent citizens.”
Emergency rule was first introduced in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in May last year. It was extended by another six months in November. A further extension will ensure it continues to November, three months to the general elections in Nigeria.