-President Says Boko Haram Actions a ‘Declaration of War’
THREE contiguous northeastern Nigerian states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa were placed under
emergency rule on Tuesday evening by President Goodluck Jonathan, after violence triggered by religious extremism intensified in the last couple of weeks.
President Jonathan announced the imposition of emergency rule in an address broadcasted on television and radio across the nation about 45 minutes ago.
The three states have been the hotbed of the religious insurgency spearheaded by the murderous group, Boko Haram, whose actions have led to the deaths of hundreds of Nigerians, including security operatives and civilians over the last three years.
In his address, President Jonathan justified the imposition of emergency rule, saying that what the country faced in the hands of Boko Haram was no mere criminal act or militancy, but an active rebellion against state authority that threatens the nation and the region.
“”What we are facing is not just militancy or criminality” Mr. Jonathan said, adding that it is more of “a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity.”
The president went on to say that the actions of the extremists amounted to a “declaration of war” in Nigeria, promising that his administration will apprehend and bring the “terrorists” to justice.
“We will hunt them down, we will fish them out, and we will bring them to justice,” Jonathan said.
Unlike in the past however, the imposition of emergency rule will not usurp democratic institutions in the affected states. Governors, lawmakers and others will still maintain their official roles in state administration.
In the past, declaration of emergency in states like Plateau and Ekiti had suspended democratic administration in place of a temporary administration installed by executive order of then-president Olusegun Obasanjo.
The declaration of a ‘state of emergency’ in the three states comes in spite of calls from the influential Nigeria Governors Forum headed by Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. The group had released a statement on Monday calling on President Jonathan to rethink the idea of emergency rule, saying it will only exacerbate a delicate situation.
Opposition party leaders also chimed in to state their opposition to the declaration of emergency anywhere in the country.
It is unclear if the limited declaration of emergency as opposed to the full declaration is a halfway measure meant to pacify those who oppose emergency rule in the affected states.
Violence in various hues has intensified in the last few weeks in Nigeria, including in states where Boko Haram was not as active.
Last week in Nassarawa State, about 66 security operatives, including policemen and members of the Directorate of State Security were killed by militant groups unaffiliated with Boko Haram, prompting President Jonathan to shelve his scheduled state visit to Namibia to personally oversee security efforts to tame the tide of violence in the country.