Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan visiting relatives of victims of the St. Theresa Catholic Church that was bombed on December 25, 2011. Dozens were killed in a series of attacks blamed on Boko Haram., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Jonathan declares emergency rule in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa
TUESDAY, 14 MAY 2013 00:00
FROM SAXONE AKHAINE (KADUNA), MOHAMMED ABUBAKAR (ABUJA), SEYE OLUMIDE, TOPE TEMPLER OLAIYA, TUNDE AKINOLA AND WOLE OYEBADE (LAGOS)
Nigerian Guardian
• Talks to continue with Boko Haram
• Army to deploy more troops in states
• Gunmen kill 11, injure others in Kaduna
DEMONSTRATING a much more forceful resolve to restore security with the expression “Enough is enough,” President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday declared a state of emergency in the three troubled states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
In the 12th paragraph of his 7.00 p.m. broadcast to the nation, the President 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.
“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.”
Stating the urgent need to protect the nation’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Jonathan said while all efforts at persuasion and dialogue would continue, he was duty-bound to ensure the indivisibility of Nigeria as a country.
“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,” he said.
The President lamented the recent spate of terrorist activities and security challenges in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau, Bayelsa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states. He particularly condemned the killing of security operatives by cult groups in Nasarawa State, saying: “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.”
Significantly, the President left the political structures, including the governors and legislature untouched in the affected states, though he was unequivocal in his demands for the political leadership in those states to co-operate maximally with the security agencies to ensure that the exercise succeeds.
The President continued: “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.”
He added: “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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Earlier yesterday, Jonathan met with critical stakeholders in his quest to find a lasting solution to the insecurity facing the country.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State and his Yobe State counterpart, Ibrahim Gaidam, met with the President behind closed doors. Shettima described the meeting as an attempt to cross-pollinate ideas with the President in the search for peace.
Also, the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Resolution of Security Challenges in the North met with the President in his office. The Committee Chairman, Kabiru Turaki (SAN), told State House correspondents that they were at the Villa to meet with the President.
After their meeting with Jonathan, the governors told reporters that they were around to brief the President on the security situations in their states.
The Borno governor said that they were not bothered about a threat to impose a state of emergency on the two north-eastern states, noting that it is only God that gives power to whomever He wishes and whenever He wants.
“Well, we are basically here to cross-pollinate our ideas with Mr. President on how to move the nation forward. That’s in a nutshell what brought us here, to cross-fertilise our ideas with Mr. President”, he said.
Asked about the state of security in Borno, he said it was stable but restated his position that the situation would soon normalise, saying: “I have repeatedly said it is a temporary eclipse in Borno. We shall start shining again very soon, don’t worry. We shall get over it.”
Kabiru Tanimu Turaki assured that the challenges would not derail the committee’s objective of meeting the three-month deadline assigned to it.
At the end of the meeting with Jonathan, Turaki who is also the Minister of Special Duties, told reporters that his committee had not even considered if the violence would affect its work or not, saying: “But what I can say on that is that the past events have not in any way derailed our programme. They have not derailed our resolution and desire and intention to make sure we get to the root of this problem.”
Reacting to the video recording of the Boko Haram leader, Sheik Abubakar Shekau, on Monday displaying some women and children held hostage by the group in retaliation for their families being held by security agencies, Turaki said the development did not mean they were averse to settlement via dialogue.
He confirmed watching the video clip, saying: “I have watched the video clip and from my own understanding, I think what Imam Abubakar Shekau is saying is not different from what the committee is doing. There is no indication to say that they are not amenable to settlement or dialogue.
“Now, the people believe that they will live by the teachings of the Holy Prophet as enshrined in the provisions of the Qura’an. Now, the Qura’an specifically says that sulh (dialogue, negotiation or settlement), has a lot of value, and in fact Muslims are encouraged to enter into dialogue.
“The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who practicalised the provisions of the Qura’an and the teachings of Islam, has also entered into agreement or treaty of Hudaibiyyah, where even the terms that were proposed and agreed upon at that time were clearly against the interest of Muslims, but the prophet (peace be upon him) accepted and at the end of the day, it paved way for everlasting peace even till today within the Arabian Peninsula.
“So, there is peace not only in the Middle East, including even the Far East. What we are saying is that we are convinced that with all the efforts we are making, we will now be able to arrive at the middle course. Of course, dialogue does not mean there would be absence of differences.
“And when we sit down to negotiate, it does not mean that everybody will get or must get what he wants. There would be give-and-take at the end of the day. The most fundamental thing is, from my own understanding, that the Jama’a people are not averse to dialogue and settlement of the dispute, sitting down to discuss.”
On the thrust of the meeting with Jonathan, the committee chairman said: “In the earlier interactions we have had with the pressmen, we made it clear that part of our modus operandi is to engage critical stakeholders through interactive sessions so that we will be able to have information and input from their own perspectives.
“You may be aware that we have had interactions with the security agencies, prison authorities, Customs, defence headquarters and other people that we think are necessary stakeholders. What we are doing now is to discuss and have their inputs; and take their own stake from their own perspective. And we feel that having interacted with most of the security agencies, we have come to the critical stage where we also need to hear what the government’s side is.
“Similar efforts in the past were said to have had problems here and there because before you reach an appreciable height, you have people running their mouths, saying things they ought not to say. We want to keep things as secretive as possible not because we do not want members of the public to know about them but because we feel that we have not got to the level yet where members of the public will be given those details of what we are doing.”
On who the committee is meeting next, he said: “We will meet with governors, traditional rulers, leaders of the frontline states, the clergy. We will go even to inspect the epicentres of this crisis, see the people that have had casualties, see the victims, because do not forget that part of our responsibility and recommendations we will make is for Victims Support Programme.”
Meanwhile, gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen, struck Tuesday in Zangang Village of Atakar Chiefdom, Kaura Local Council of Kaduna State, killing 11 people.
Several people were said to be missing after the attack, while others who sustained injuries from gunshots were taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for treatment.
The gunmen, who invaded the community, were reportedly said to have burnt many houses during the attack, which was said to have started last Sunday, but became worse yesterday. Areas affected included the residence of the district head.
The Kaduna State government has condemned the attacks in the area, saying measures were being taken to ensure lasting peace in the community.
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