BOKO HARAM: JONATHAN, SENATE STRIKE DEAL ON SECURITY

A few days after senators called on the Federal Government to take decisive action against Boko Haram, President Goodluck Jonathan and the Senate have reached an agreement on how best to fight insurgency in the country.This is coming at a time the President has not only given an assurance of his administration’s determination to successfully resolve the security crisis in the North, but also promised the rescue of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.
In a meeting Jonathan had with the Senate leadership and some select senators as well as security chiefs, held in Aso Rock Wednesday night, the lawmakers expressed concern over insurgency and demanded that the Presidency did something to arrest the situation.
At the parley, which had Senate President David Mark and 21 senators in attendance, the Senate pledged full cooperation with the Presidency on whichever action to be taken in the war against terror. The President assured the lawmakers that government would do everything not only to secure the release of the abducted female students of Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, but also to rout Boko Haram.
Sources revealed that with the Senate’s promise to cooperate with the Presidency, Jonathan may, next week, unfold his new line of action on Yobe, Adamawa and Borno states, where the extended six months emergency rule recently expired. The options are for the President to extend emergency rule, declare total emergency or end the programme, but leaving the military in the three states.
Sources at the Senate described the meeting as “frank and rewarding,” as useful information was provided, adding: “The senators, including those in the opposition, expressed delight at the valuable information on the Boko Haram insurgency provided by the security chiefs during the meeting, which ended around 2am.”
Senators who attended the meeting with Mark were: Boluwaji Kunlere, Babafemi Ojudu, Zainab Kure, Alkali Jajere, James Manager, Helen Esuene, Chris Anyanwu, Ali Ndume, Ahmed Zannah, Maina Ma’aji Lawan, Nenadi Usman, Mohammed Magoro, and Emmanuel Bwacha.
Others are; Ahmad Lawan, Barnabas Gemade, Sola Adeyeye, Bindowo Jibrilla, Ehigie Uzamere, Bello Tukur, and Eyinnaya Abaribe, Senate spokesman.
Abaribe simply described the meeting as “a purely security one” between the two arms of government.”
Daily Sun had revealed that President Jonathan would meet with the Senate, after the National Security Council meeting, to not only brief senators but also to lobby for cooperation in the event that he either extend the emergency rule in the three North-East states or declare total emergency, which will remove the governors.
Meanwhile, the President has again assured Nigerians that the abducted secondary schoolgirls would be found and rescued.
Source: Sun