ABUJA – Some security experts on Thursday in Abuja hailed the Federal Government’s request for extension of the State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), retired DCP Ahmed Yusuf, said he supported the extension of the state of emergency in the three states as requested by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Yusuf said that by sending the request to the National Assembly the president was complying with the provisions of the constitution.
He, however, said that the National Assembly on the other hand, had a duty to scrutinise the president’s request.
“That is why there is a little bit of delay in attending to the president’s request and the lawmakers want to know the facts on ground as extensions upon extensions had been given.
Speaking on the request by some sections of the society that the military should take full control of the three states, Yusuf said that was not the best thing to do in a democracy.
“ I don’t think that is the best thing to do in this present democratic dispensation because we are in a democratic dispensation.
“It will not be proper because there will be conflict; are you going to prepare a different constitution for the three states.
“And if you now deploy military administrators and they take over and ask the governors and other stakeholders to step aside, is it the military rule that will be used to govern the civilians.
“Are you setting aside the constitution; the best thing to do is for the government to continue to manage the situation, but it should be more aggressive in dealing with the insurgents,” Yusuf said.
On his part, retired Brig-Gen Saleh Bala, said that It was not how long the state of emergency was reviewed that mattered, but how the government was able to manage the wave of violence in the affected states.
Bala said that the country was in a state-of-war and that the situation was special because it was not a conventional war but an insurgency.
He said that insurgency in military language was called “the long war’’, as it was “a war of ideas and ideas are not given within a frame of time’’.
“ Nigerians should agree and sympathise with the current administration; the situation we are in is escalating.
“And a state of emergency is imposed in order to mitigate certain civil law in order to allow the military to exercise control so as to bring the insurgency under control.
“I believe there is a justification for the extension of the state of emergency,” Bala said.
On suggestions that the military should be deployed to taking full control of the three states, the retired military officer said it would be dangerous to take such action as the nation’s democracy was nascent.
According to him, it is very dangerous in a long-war situation to suspend the political structure of a given environment. (NAN)
Security experts laud Jonathan’s request for extension of state of emergency
Loading...
