boko haram crisis – Tension In North, South Over Killings

As security agencies have been unable to tame gunmen on the rampage in the North-East States and bombers who have attacked non-indigenes in Sapele,  Delta State, tension has grown in the country, leading to exodus from one part of the country to another. This is taking place at a time when the Presidency is mounting […]

As security agencies have been unable to tame gunmen on the rampage in the North-East States and bombers who have attacked non-indigenes in Sapele,  Delta State, tension has grown in the country, leading to exodus from one part of the country to another.

This is taking place at a time when the Presidency is mounting pressures on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and other principal officers of the Lower Chamber against its emergency session scheduled to hold today (Sunday).

The lawmakers have cut short their Christmas and New Year recess in order to address issues related to the removal of subsidy on fuel and the strike action which Labour unions will embark upon tomorrow (Monday).

Sunday Trust gathered last night that both The Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the weekend, mounted pressures on the House to call off the emergency session, as there are fears that the lawmakers could upturn the New Year’s Day increase in fuel price by government.

Deputy Chairman House  Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep Victor Ogene, told Sunday Trust in a telephone interview yesterday that it was not possible for the parliament not to reconvene by 3.00 pm today, in spite of the pressures, saying that the meeting became expedient because of the confusion in the country.

“Our decision to hold the emergency session is irrevocable; we cannot take back our words. Most members were in far places and we recalled them. So, how can we recall for the fun of it,” he argued.

On the legality of the emergency session, Rep Ogene said the House’s standing rules allowed them to summon emergency sessions, saying, “at a time when the nation is almost on fire, we can’t fold our arms and watch”.

Cont’d fron pg 1

Order 18 rule of the House’s standing orders 2011 reads thus:  “Whenever the House stands adjourned, either to a date fixed by its resolution and it is represented by the leaders of the political parties in the House to the Speaker that the public interest requires that the House should meet on an earlier or a date or time than that adjourned, the Speaker may give notice and the House shall meet at the time or date on the notice of this order.”

Sunday Trust gathered that one of reasons why the House agreed to meet on Sunday was to prevent an invasion of the Lower Chamber by the Labour movement on Monday, because NLC had planned to occupy the National Assembly in order to press home its demands.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Alhaji Farouk Lawan, says the special session by members of the House of Representatives that will hold today will provide funds for fuel subsidy in this year’s federal budget as part of measures to restore normalcy to the country.

The federal lawmaker representing Bagwai/Shanono federal constituency in Kano State also said the house will equally cut the cost of governance, raise benchmark and provide funds for key critical areas as palliative measures to Nigerians.

Lawan told newsmen in Kano yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan erred by starting implementing the 2012 budget without first ensuring its passage and approval by the National Assembly.

He listed other measures that the lawmakers might consider in today’s session to include reviewing “the entire budgetary allocation with a view to cutting funds from less critical areas to critical sectors that are highly productive and also consider reducing cost of governance”.

He also said the security allocations that is close to one trillion in this year’s budget might also be cut.

The general views of the entire members of the National Assembly on the controversial subsidy removal, according to him, is that it was done without taking into consideration the likely implications that may arise and that the federal government did not adequately enlighten the public on the new policy.

“The timing is wrong; the politics is wrong, and there was no adequate consultation to prepare the mind of all. In fact, the idea was not taken to the public domain. And we believe that the cost of governance should have been cut rather than removing the subsidy; the huge amount allocated to security should be reduced”, he said.

The lawmaker also said the executive arm forgot that the powers of approving budget lies with the National Assembly and went ahead to remove the subsidy without recourse to the country’s lawmaking body.

“And for this reason we are going to use our powers to decide what is better for Nigerians through cutting monies that are given to areas of less benefit to the people”, he said.

The National Assembly, according to him, will also appeal to the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) to hold on in the interest of the nation and avoid the strike if they consider it avoidable. “The labour should give us a benefit of the doubt by not embarking on the proposed strike because we are going to critically deliberate on major issues that will salvage the situation”, according to him.

Exodus from Delta State

As a result of attacks of non-indigenes in Sapele, Delta State at the weekend by youths armed with dangerous weapons, many Muslims from the South-South State have continued to flee, creating tension in the region.

Our correspondent reported yesterday that though there were no fresh attacks on Muslims, many of them have continued to leave the region for fear that reprisal attacks could lead to many deaths. In the last few weeks no less than three attacks had been launched at mosques, a Qur’anic school and over a dozen individuals by unidentified persons who claimed to be reacting to attacks on churches and non-indigenes by gunmen in the North-East region.

Speaking on the situation, one Malam Sadiq Musa told journalists at the weekend that he was shocked at the attacks. He said, “It is a pity that our brothers are attacking us. If they ask us to leave, where do they want us to go? We have no other place to go. This issue is political and not a religious matter because we are trying to preach peace and we don’t believe in violence.”

It was gathered that the State Security Service (SSS) and the Police in Delta State had intervened in the attacks on non-indigenes. However, Sunday Trust gathered that this has not allayed fears and Hausa-Muslims continued to leave the South-South and South-East states at the weekend. .

Gunmen attack banks, as Southerners vacate Potiskum

Suspected members of the Boko Haram Friday night attacked four banks with rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) in Potiskum, the biggest and business hub of Yobe State.

This came in the wake of massive oxodus of Southerners from Potiskum, 120 kilometers away, south of Damaturu, the state capital.

A driver at the Yobe Line terminus in Potiskum told Sunday Trust that more than 300 Igbo traders and their families left at the weekend.

Witnesses said despite stiff resistance by members of the Joint Task Force in Potiskum, Finbank, Zenith, Keystone and Intercontinental banks were destroyed by the gunmen.

“I’m sure millions of naira and other valuables must have been carted away because the attackers took many hours carrying out the operation,” Kabiru Balogun, a mechanic in the town, said.

He said it was much later that additional soldiers and mobile policemen were deployed to the town. “Before they came, a lot of damage was done,” he said.

Police commissioner, Lawan Tanko who confirmed the attacks told journalists by phone that, at least, one mobile policeman  guarding one of the affected banks and two civilians were killed.

“We had an all night encounter with the gunmen, but at the end of the day, we succeeded in controlling the situation,” the police commissioner said.  He said all places of worship of Christians are intact. “We would give you the details of all that happened in due course,” the commissioner said.

Resident Sani Saminu said a bomb was also thrown into a police barrack in the heart of the city while efforts by dozens of gunmen to destroy the divisional police station in the area were rebuffed.

“Southerners living in Dogo Tebo and Dogo Nini areas have deserted the areas while residents have remained indoors,” Hussani Sama’ila, a trader in Potiskum said.

“All our markets are closed because the traders are afraid of the unknown. I can assure you that on Friday, we heard the sound of at least 10 explosions,” he said.

Malam Abbas Yusuf, an Islamic cleric called on the gunmen to exercise restraint in the interest of peaceful coexistence. “Islam abhors violence. We need peace to practice our religion and one thing we must all observe is that there is no compulsion in religion,” he said.

Potiskum is one of the five towns where a state of emergency was declared in Yobe State.

There were reports of bomb blast in Mubi last night in the midst of the 24-hour curfew. Sources said an apparently improvised bomb device exploded in the centre of the town, and armed soldiers on patrol shot sporadically.

Sounds of gunshots were heard in parts of the town. There has been no report of casualties, as at the time of filing this report around 9:30 pm. Police have not confirmed the report, but many residents in the town told a Sunday Trust correspondent in Yola on phone that they heard the explosion and the sounds of sporadic gunshots,