Jonathan on Tuesday requested the National Assembly to approve the extension of the emergency rule in the north-eastern states of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno for another six months.
To become legal, the extension needs to be approved by both chambers of the National Assembly. The House of Representatives will debate the issue today (Wednesday).
Abdullahi Bego, the spokesperson to the Yobe State governor Ibrahim Gaidam, issued a statement is which he said that a year under emergency rule did not improve security situation in the state but rather resulted in more deaths and destruction.
"Over the six months of emergency rule and later over the second, we have seen some of the worst attacks by Boko Haram in Yobe State. From GSS Damaturu to GSS Mamudo to College of Agriculture Gujba and FGC Buni Yadi, more than 120 students were killed by insurgents," Bego said.
The Yobe government called on Jonathan's administration to work out a new approach for combating terrorism, and first and foremost to equip the Nigerian military with modern tools and arms that would allow it to be "several steps ahead of the insurgents".
"The issue is whether the federal government can summon the courage to try these suggestions and to explore new ways to bring the insurgency to an end without repeating a stale and sterile measure which has failed over the last 12 months."
We need a new approach
In a similar manner, governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has again objected to the idea of emergency rule extension.
Nyako made his position known through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Ahmed Sajoh. Just like his colleague from Yobe State, Nyako said that emergency rule had failed to yield results.
He noted that his state had witnessed more attacks since May 2013 than it had before.
"We still hold our position that there was no need to declare a state of emergency in Adamawa in the first place, because the level of attacks in the state has even increased with the imposition of emergency rule."
The governor of Adamawa also said that the FG should adopt a new strategy to deal with terror in the region "rather than the business as usual tactics that do not add up".
It will be recalled that the state of emergency was declared in May 2013 and extended for another six months in November. It was meant to help Nigerian military tackle the Boko Haram insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria. However, the Islamist sect seems ho have intensified its attacks, killing nearly 2,000 people in 2014 alone.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/66292.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/66292.html
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/66292.html
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