Declaration Of State Of Emergency: Matters Arising

President Goodluck Jonathan who on April 17 set up an amnesty committee to enter into dialogue with the members of the Boko Haram sect, was compelled to declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states on May 14.

According to Jonathan, recent developments in the affected states make it imperative for government to take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy.

He said: “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.

He directed the Chief of Defence Staff to immediately deploy more troops into these states for more effective internal security operations.

“ 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,” Jonathan added.

Analysts say that the “state of emergency” was done with a human face, as elected political office holders were still allowed to function.

A professor of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Jonah Onuoha, said the emergency rule was the last resort to restore normalcy.

“We all know that the President employed various means to negotiate with the Boko Haram members to stop security challenges in these states to no avail.

“Jonathan even approved amnesty to Boko Haram members which ordinarily they did not merit, all was in a bid to restore peace but they rejected the offer.

Onuoha said  that without the emergency rule, the activities of the sect would become a serious threat to the unity of the country.

Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, the President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN),  said that the president’s action was timely.

“Having examined the situation, the Conference of Catholic Bishops believes that the steps taken by the Federal Government so far are apt and in the interest of all Nigerians.

“We welcome the president’s efforts in seeking to bring our challenges under control.

“We believe that given the serious nature of the crises, the president must use all available resources and opportunities required to resolve the tension in various parts of the country.”

On the amnesty committee set up by government, Kaigama said the conference was in support of the committee, but said that the programme must be aimed at achieving results.

“The programme should be geared towards genuine repentance and reconciliation, rather than appeasing the minds of a few criminals”.

“We note the various initiatives to resolve the Boko Haram issue, such as the setting up of the amnesty committee. “We, however, insist that genuine amnesty should mean offering pardon to repentant militants and not appeasing criminals and their sponsors to stay calm,” the CBCN president said.

Senate President David Mark, said the Upper Legislative House was in support of the president’s action.

“We would like to support the Federal Government in this proclamation of the state of emergency in the three states.

“We also would like to remind the president that the Federal Government must fund the operations there properly and adequately.

“As the operation is going on, relief and all medical materials should be as quickly as possible, moved to the area so that the people can benefit from government’s presence “We want to emphasise that all the democratic structures must be left in place and must be allowed to operate fully and actively. “They must also be involved in all the efforts that the Federal Government is putting up to bring this ugly situation to an end,” he said.

Mark also urged the amnesty committee to intensify efforts to bring the situation to an end and explained that government adopted the emergency rule option as a last resort.

“We are conscious of the fact that there was lawlessness; there was anarchy and mayhem in most of the places that are involved in the declaration of state of emergency. “We appreciate the fact that government must take every possible step to bring this to an end as quickly as possible, with minimal loss of lives and materials,” he said.

The senate president expressed concern that in some of the local government areas, the insurgents were “flying their own flag, collecting taxes and running a parallel and illegal government”.

Mr Solomon Dalo, a human rights activist, said the declaration of a state of emergency was an indictment on the security agencies, adding that emergency rule would escalate the situation,

“The best way to curtail Boko Haram is to show them love and compel them to drop all arms,” he said.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) also faulted the declaration of a state of emergency in the affected states.

ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that if the use of force was capable of ending the Boko Haram insurgency, it would have ended a long time ago.

“There is nothing new in the president’s action. It is more of the same: deployment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insurgents,” he said.

In spite of the declaration, President Jonathan has remained undaunted in the amnesty and dialogue option, as he recently directed the release of some suspects, especially women and children.

Alhaji Kabir Turaki, Chairman, Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, said the presidential directive was in order.

Turaki, who is also Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, said that the release of wives and children of some suspected Boko Haram members would facilitate the committee’s assignment.

“In the course of our interaction, we come across some categories of vulnerable persons and we feel government should intervene even before we conclude our reports,” he said.

Turaki said those released would be handed over to their state governments for support and rehabilitation.

As there is no known alternative to peace, stakeholders stress the need for every Nigerian to join hands with the government in its efforts to restore peace to the troubled parts of the country.

They, however,  advise that “government should  not take any action that will promote criminality and lawlessness.”

Okoronkwo writes for News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Chijioke Okoronkwo