President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday night declared state of emergency in three Northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa but could not muscle up courage to send the governors of the affected states packing from their respective Government Houses.
The three states more than others in the North have been turned into battle grounds by Islamist insurgents, Boko Haram, whose frequent attacks have left thousands of people dead and property worth millions of naira destroyed in the past few years.
President Jonathan lamented that despite effort by the government to establish channels for dialogue, the insurgents seem determined to overrun other parts of the North, saying government viewed their activities as rebellious.
Addressing the nation in a live broadcast, the President said he was left with no option than to exercise his powers to declare emergency rule in the affected states.
He said: “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.”
However, Jonathan said all political structures will remain intact in the three states, calling for cooperation from the political leaders and the people to make the exercise succeeds.
He said: “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.”
To ensure adequate protection of lives and property and further breakdown of law, the President said the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim, has been directed to deploy adequate troops to the three states.
Recalling what led the decision, the President noted that 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 destabilise the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve.
“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.
“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.
“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. We exercised restraint to allow for all efforts by both State Governors and well-meaning Nigerians to stop the repeated cases of mindless violence.
“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.
“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”.
President Jonathan said the troops and other security agencies that would be deployed “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.”
According to President Jonathan, the orders “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.”
He therefore, called on 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.”
However, in line with the provision of the constitution, President Jonathan said he will transmit the Proclamation to the National Assembly for ratification.
He also said he would approach governments of neighbouring countries, through diplomatic channels, “for their co-operation in apprehending any terrorist elements that may escape across the border.”
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