AS PRESIDENT DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY...FIGHTER JETS, TROOPS MOVED TO BORNO, YOBE, ADAMAWA

. Nigeria is at war, says Jonathan

. ‘Governors won’t be suspended’

Massive deployment of troops and military hardware has begun in the three states affected by President Jonathan’s proclamation of state of emergency last night, Daily Trust learnt yesterday.

Jonathan, in a national broadcast, declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, which have seen rising levels of insurgency that caused the deaths of hundreds in the past weeks.

Security sources told Daily Trust that large-scale military deployment had started since weekend in the three states ahead of the president’s proclamation, and that in all at least 8,000 troops are to be involved in the operations.

In Borno State, where Jonathan said insurgents have begun to capture territories, about 2,000 soldiers as well as fighter jets have already been deployed.

Delivering his broadcast on live television last night, the president said he decided to proclaim a state of emergency because the activities of insurgents have worsened and have amounted to a declaration of war on the nation.

The president said despite the “robust steps” taken to solve the insurgency, it appears “there is a systematic effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilise the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve.”

He said “what we are facing is not just militancy or criminality, but a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity. Already, some northern parts of Borno state have been taken over by groups whose allegiance is to different flags and ideologies.

“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.”

Jonathan said while persuasion and dialogue would continue, government had a sacred duty to protect lives and property. “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,” he said.

He said with the emergency declaration, the Chief of Defence Staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to the three states, but added that governors and other political officer holders in those states will remain in office.

“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,” the president said.

“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.”

He vowed to bring the insurgents to justice. “No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror,” he added.

President Jonathan earlier spoke of “protracted security challenges” in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Plateau, Bayelsa, Taraba, Benue and Nasarawa states, causing loss of lives and property.

On last week’s violence in Nasarawa State, where dozens of policemen were killed by a cult, Jonathan said he directed that “no effort or expense be spared” in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

When contacted for comments on the emergency rule declaration, spokesman for Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Malam Isa Gusau, said the statement government will issue a statement today.

For his part, spokesman for Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, Malam Abdullahi Bego, said in a statement: “As everyone knows, there is no alternative to peace. The Yobe State Government therefore agrees with Mr. President on the need to take more effective measures to address the problem of insecurity in the country.”

He said the state government had done everything within its power to ensure peace and security for its citizens and it would continue to do that. “The governor assures the public that the state government will continue to work closely with the security agents and will ensure that their conduct reflects the spirit of the emergency declaration by Mr. President and the rules of engagement specified for that purpose,” Bego added.

This is the second time Jonathan is declaring emergency rule in Borno and Yobe states, having first done that in 5 LGAs of each of the two states in December 2011, along with 4 LGAs in Plateau and 1 LGA in Niger State. The proclamation was lifted on the expiration of the constitutional six-month period.

The state of emergency declared last night will still have to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Senate and the House of Representatives at separate sessions. Jonathan said details of the proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly.

But it may be a done deal, given that the President has already consulted the leadership of the parliament ahead of the proclamation. The National Assembly passed two previous emergency declarations issued in the past nine years, the first one being on Plateau State in 2004.

Speaking to journalists at the end of a closed door meeting of the PDP Senate caucus yesterday, hours before Jonathan’s proclamation, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba said the National Assembly was yet to receive a letter on that.

“We briefed our colleagues (PDP Senators) on the engagements we had with Mr. President on the security situation in the country…. The leadership of the National Assembly has been engaging with the President on the state of insecurity and I believe that very decisive and clear measure will be in place sooner than later,” he said.

Reacting earlier yesterday ahead of the proclamation, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Army, Rep. Mukhtar B. Aliyu, said: “Borno is already in emergency; I don’t know the kind of emergency the president wants to declare. Declaring emergency in Borno and Yobe won’t solve the problem, it will rather compound it.”

Source: Daily Trust