SAN FRANCISCO, November 08, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Thursday approved the extension of the emergency rule imposed on three North-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in May by another six months as it okayed the request of President Goodluck Jonathan for the extension.
The request was granted after over two hours of deliberations with a proviso, that the service chiefs must brief the Senate on the progress so far made in the fight against Boko Haram.
The Senate therefore summoned all the service chiefs as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs to appear before render an account of the security situation across the country.
No date was however given for the appearance of the service chiefs and the Foreign Affairs Minister.
The Senate said it okayed the extension in order to give “more time to the military to restore full and lasting peace to the three states,” just as it noted that appreciable progress had been recorded in the affected states since the proclamation in May.
At the plenary presided over by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, the Senate said it approved the extension “on the same terms and conditions as earlier approved and gazetted,” saying ”The approval of the Senate was sequel to a motion, “Extension of State of Emergency in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States”, by the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba.
Ndoma-Egba referred to the letter by the president, requesting the two chambers of the National Assembly to approve an extension of emergency rule in the three North-East states.
He recalled that on Tuesday, May 12, the Senate passed a resolution by which the president declared a state of emergency in order to curb militant insurgency and restore peace in the affected states.
The motion prayed the Senate to “consequently grant the president’s request”, in compliance with Section 305 (6c) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended). This, he said, was in consideration of the section which stated that “a proclamation issued by the president, under the section, shall cease to have effect, after a period of six months.”
Supporting the approval of the extension, Senator Bello Tukur explained that the Senate decided to okay the president’s request for the extension because of the visible challenges in the three states. He however said there had been some appreciable level of restoration of peace in Adamawa State.
The Senator said before the declaration of emergency rule in the state, there were few insurgencies, but since after the proclamation, no any large scale insurgency attack took place in the state
“Let it (emergency rule) be reviewed since we are experiencing challenges, especially the number of personnel in operation is not enough. The service chiefs have to look into it”, he said.
Also butressing his point, Senator Ahmed Zanna, from Borno Central, said he had reservation over the extension, stressing that, unfortunately, there was no other alternative.
“I was not coerced. As the situation is in Borno, we don’t have any other option than to approve it,” he said enen as he. decried the situation where he said the military concentrates only at the urban centres without adequate presence in the forest, where he noted, the insurgents were camping to plan their attacks.
President Jonathan, in a letter dated November 5, to the Senate President, David Mark, had requested an approval for the extension, explaining that he took the decision because “some security challenges still exist in a few parts.”
The president however noted that the security agencies, with the assistance of residents of the affected areas, have achieved considerable successes in combating Boko Haram.
EMMA UCHE, ABUJA
