Three states in the North, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno are under a state of emergency. Two months after President Goodluck Jonathan put these states under emergency, the governors and residents look forward to the end of the military action, write Lawal Ado and Yusuf Zango, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Ever since President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states on May 14, residents of the states have been expressing mixed feelings over the action.
Although, observers in Borno and Yobe agree that the activities of the Boko Haram are visible in both states, several residents of Adamawa, who believe that the sect’s operations are not widespread in the state, insist that there is no need for emergency there.
Nevertheless, when the declaration was made, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa appealed to the people to accept the development in good faith, conceding that the declaration could have come as a surprise to many citizens.
The governor admitted that Adamawa had witnessed “few criminal activities by armed hoodlums in the last few years, as it was in other states of the federation.’’
Nyako said in spite of such criminal activities, Adamawa had enjoyed peace in recent times to the extent that it was adjudged the most peaceful state in the Northeastern geopolitical zone by some national and international peace groups.
“I therefore call upon all the citizens of the state to remain calm and not to do anything that could be construed to be against the emergency,’’ he added.
The governor’s appeal for calm was also re-echoed by his son, Abdul-Aziz Nyako when he spoke in his capacity as the Sarkin Matasa — youth leader of Adamawa Emirate Council.
“If we make things smooth and easier for security operatives, things will also be made easier for us,’’ he said, during one of his enlightenment campaign tours of the emirate’s districts.
The youth leader, however, called for the opening of a register that would contain the names of the residents of various wards in the state and the background information on them.
The Director of Press and Media Affairs in Adamawa, Alhaji Ahmad Sajoh, said the governor had been making efforts to initiate more proactive community-based security measures in the state.
He said Nyako had met with stakeholders in the border communities adjacent to Cameroon Republic, soliciting their support for the security agencies.
“We are also making efforts to open a media centre to bridge any communication gap between the military and civilian populace so as to ensure a good working relationship.
“We want the military to have an effective way of passing messages to the civilian populace and vice versa,’’ Sajoh said.
Operational Commander of the military force deployed to Adamawa Brig.-Gen Fatai Alli urged the security officers in the state to make discipline and compliance with professional rules of engagement their watchword.
Alli said the Federal Government’s security measures had been yielding results because no attack between the security agencies and the people had been recorded since the emergency.
Commissioner of Police in Adamawa State Mr Godfrey Okeke said following the clampdown on terrorists by the military in Gwoza area of Borno, the police had arrested 11 suspects who fled to Adamawa.
While reiterating the police command’s commitment to protecting the people’s lives and property, Okeke praised the state government for its support for the state joint patrol team codenamed Operation Tsaro.
He, however, listed commu
nication problems, induced
by the suspension of GSM services in some areas, and the porous border with Cameroon, which traverses nine local governments in the state, as some of the major challenges facing the command in its fight against terrorism. The GSM ban has since been lifted.
Although Yola, the state capital is serene, the state of emergency, which was slammed on Adamawa, has taken its toll on socio-economic and commercial activities in the state.
Alhaji Adamu Ngurore, the spokesman for Adamawa Traders Union, said before the recent restoration of the mobile telecommunication services; socio-economic and commercial activities in Yola nosedived.
He pleaded with the Federal Government to review the state of emergency in Adamawa, insisting that peace and order had been restored to the state.
“We have been peaceful, law-abiding and supportive to the security operatives; we hope the government will take that into consideration and review our case,’’ Ngurore said.
Besides, Alhaji Hussaini Isa, the Chairman of the Adamawa Chapter of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycles Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORAN), called on the Federal Government to lift the state of emergency.
“What we witnessed in the state concerning security challenges before the onset of the state of emergency was largely linked to armed robbery attacks and other criminal activities.
“Even though, we cannot rule it out that there were elements of Boko Haram attacks in some parts of the state, especially from the neighbouring Borno State, Adamawa has remained largely peaceful,’’ he added.
Isa, however, noted that the state of emergency had directly affected the activities of the association’s members, leading to a decline in their daily income.
“Before the emergency rule, the daily earnings of most of our members ranged between N8,000 and N10,000 per person but now, the daily income has drastically reduced to between N4,000 and N5, 000,’’ he said.
Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Audu Zira, a vendor of mobile phone recharge cards in Jimeta, said his sales had plummeted as a result of the state of emergency.
Nevertheless, Mr Augustine Mako from Numan Local Government Area disagreed with those calling for lifting of the state of emergency in Adamawa, insisting that it should continue until the security situation became normal.
“I recall that in previous times, there were crises and killings of innocent lives in Adamawa; what is happening now in Adamawa, in respect of the state of emergency, should continue for the time being,’’ he said.
“But if the security operatives feel that the security challenges are over; the government should go ahead and lift the state of emergency,’’ he said.
On the whole, Alli, the commander of the military force in Adamawa, said: “No life has been lost in Adamawa since the declaration of the emergency.
“Before the declaration of the state of emergency, we recorded some series of attacks on police stations and banks in some local government areas but things now are better.
“In spite of the relative calm, we are not relaxing or taking any chances in ensuring that the state of emergency achieves its aims and objectives of achieving lasting peace as well as security of lives and property in the state,’’ he added.
The general praised the
government and people of
the state for their support and cooperation for the security agents, extolling the people, in particular, for their understanding of all the security measures so far taken to restore peace and order in the state.
“I will like to commend the traditional institutions too for their contributions in sensitising the public to their expectations under the state of emergency,’’ he said.
Speaking on how Adamawa has been coping under the state of emergency, Nyako said his administration had kept the youth in the state busy, thereby making it difficult for the Boko Haram sect to recruit them for their nefarious activities.
“When I took over as governor, many youths were idle and jobless; they were roaming around, thereby making it easy for them to be lured by the sect members.
“But with the emergence of youth empowerment programmes like the vocational training, farming skills and local apprenticeship schemes, many of them have become self-reliant,’’ he said.
Nyako argued that his administration had already taken some security measures in the state, prior to the declaration of the state of emergency.
Nevertheless, he noted that the cooperation, which his administration enjoyed from the various stakeholders, including the security operatives and youth groups, had been helpful in efforts to make the state safe.
The governor thanked the people for their conduct and cooperation with security operatives, adding that it was a thing of pride for the state government to note that the security operatives had never been provoked to the level of using arms against the people.
Nyako said he was convinced that the Federal Government would soon lift the state of emergency, in view of the peaceful situation in the state.
All the same, observers believe that the Federal Government and the security agencies are in the best position to decide when to end the state of emergency, insisting that what is important now is safety of the people’s lives and property.
The recent media report of an attack on a secondary school in Yobe, where no fewer than 24 students were killed, heightened the concern of the government, security agencies and citizens about the worsening security situation in the state.
Media reports indicate that the students were killed in a pre-dawn attack on Government Secondary School, Mamudo, in Potiskum Local Government Area.
Commissioner of Police in Yobe State Alhaji Sanusi Rufa’i confirmed that apart from the slain students, a teacher and a preacher were also killed in the attack, which left four other students injured.
In recent times, observers have seen Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states as flashpoints of violence perpetrated by the Boko Haram sect.
Considering the trend of the security challenges facing the three states, which had somewhat crippled the socio-economic and commercial activities in the area, Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the states.
Making the declaration, Jonathan underscored the determination of his administration to tackle the problems of violence and insecurity across the country.
He condemned the breakdown of law and order in the affected states, adding that the Boko Haram insurgents had taken over in some parts of the states.
“Following recent developments in the affected states, it has become necessary for government to take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy.
“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.
“Accordingly, the Chief of Defence Staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to these states for more effective internal security operations.
“The troops and other security agencies involved in these operations have orders to take all necessary actions, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists…,’’ Jonathan said in a broadcast.
Two months after the historic declaration, observers note with a sense of happiness that peace had returned to the affected states.
For instance, they note that in Damaturu and Potiskum — the commercial nerve centres of Yobe — socio-economic and commercial activities have picked up considerably.
Corroborating their views, Col. Ibrahim Ali, the Commander of the Joint Military Task Force in Yobe, said that the task force had succeeded in efforts to improve the security situation in the state.
He said the JTF had suc
ceeded in ridding
Damaturu and Potiskum of the Boko Haram insurgents, noting that there had never been “any major encounter between his forces and the insurgents since the declaration of emergency rule.’’
Ali attributed the success to the cordial relations existing between the JTF and the general public.
He said the people were quite forthcoming with regard to information on the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the area.
Ali pledged the JTF’s readiness to ease the difficulties being encountered by the public in the course of discharging its duties.
The Special Adviser to Governor Ibrahin Gaidam on Media, Alhaji Abdullahi Bego, said the state government had adopted a pragmatic approach in efforts to tackle the security challenges facing the state.
He said that the approach comprised providing logistical support for security agencies and encouraging the public to assist the security agents with vital information on the insurgents’ activities.
“Things are getting back to normal, our people are cooperating, while the security agents are fully complying with the rules of engagement,’’ he said.
Bego said the government
also adopted measures
to alleviate the sufferings of those citizens, who were directly affected by the activities of the insurgents.
He also said that no fewer than 300 classrooms had been renovated, while N197 million had been provided by the state government to assist the affected people.
Bego, however, called for more Federal Government’s assistance to the states that were affected by the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.
Alhaji Usman Saleh, a leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said normalcy had returned to Damaturu and its environs, adding that the number of the passengers of commercial vehicles had increased significantly.
“We are now finding it difficult to meet the demands of our passengers; sometimes, many passengers are stranded because of shortage of vehicles to convey them to various destinations,’’ he said.
The comments by the residents and security agents in Yobe notwithstanding, observers underscore the need to provide the security agents with more modern equipment to facilitate the fulfilment of their assignment.
They believe that with good equipment and training, the security agents’ mode of operation, especially at checkpoints, will improve, while aiding the realisation of their assignment.
