Is the state of emergency working? Yes; No

Many residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and Damaturu in Yobe State are doubtful about the effectiveness of the declaration, which took effect in December, 2011. Some who, however, welcome it are stressing that it has reduced killings and forced some wayward people to become good Samaritans. Other places affected by the declaration in […]

Many residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and Damaturu in Yobe State are doubtful about the effectiveness of the declaration, which took effect in December, 2011.

Some who, however, welcome it are stressing that it has reduced killings and forced some wayward people to become good Samaritans.

Other places affected by the declaration in Borno State include Jere, Bama, Banki and Ngala. Areas affected in Yobe State beside Damaturu are Gujba, Potiskum, Geidam and Bade (Gashua).

While people believe the state of emergency has, to some extent, reduced incidents of violence occasioned by bombing, daylight shooting of targets, mostly blamed on members of the Boko Haram in Maiduguri and its environs, other people and stakeholders believe that the action has not yielded the desired results.

Some residents who spoke to Sunday Trust expressed their opinions on the effectiveness of the emergency rule.

Sunday Bulus, a civil servant, in his opinion believed that the JTF had, to some extent, nipped in the bud, the spate of bombings and killings.

“Though there are still some pockets of killings in the town, we all know that once the military leave here, we would be in trouble because the presence of the JTF operatives means a lot. It makes it difficult for them (gunmen) to operate freely,’’ he added.

Another resident, Bunu Bello, who expressed the same opinion, said, “Despite the allegation of human right abuses against the JTF, I believe they are trying their best to return peace to the state but since they are getting  little support from the people, their impact will hardly be appreciated,” he said.

But Bukar Modu, a trader around the Baga market, has a contrary opinion. According to him, the JTF, rather than restoring peace in the affected areas,  has compounded the problem on ground.

He said, “To me, nothing has changed after the declaration of the emergency rather, the troubles of the people have doubled and they are being molested by soldiers.

“We are not in support of what these (Boko Haram) people are doing. The soldiers should face what they are here for rather than harassing and molesting people in the name of emergency,” Bukar said.

Shu’aibu Baba, a civil servant said, “In fact, the state of emergency has only succeeded in curtailing our freedom because we are still witnessing campaigns of violence. In fact, even the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on Maiduguri and Jere is a by-product of the state of emergency.

Military and police authorities in the state are not comfortable about talking about the state of emergency, arguing that it is only the authorities that imposed it that are in the position to talk.

“State of emergency is a product of political expediency and therefore it will be wrong for us to say anything on it…but I can assure you that we have reduced crime by more than 60 percent,” a top military officer, who does not want to be named, said.

On its part, the Borno State government said the imposition of the state of emergency has depleted its purse.

Commissioner for Information, Inuwa Bwala, said the presence of the JTF cannot stop activities of Boko Haram in the area, adding that people are left at the crossroads.

The commissioner, who granted interview to newsmen said, “That tells you that the intervention was not the solution. We have always said it that war ends on a round table. In this case, these people (Boko Haram) have adopted guerrilla tactics in trying to fight their perceived enemies and you know that the best army never succeeds with guerrilla fighters.

“The federal government declared a state of emergency and took over the security management of that area and the situation persists, that tells you that the decision was not popular. In any case, even when the federal government declared the state of emergency, we still foot the bill.

“Till today, the Federal Government has not given us a dime in the name of assisting us to fund the logistics of maintaining law and order in Maiduguri.

“As I speak with you, nobody has visited to know and appreciate the problems we find ourselves in. at a point, you begin to feel frustrated to the effect that perhaps, the federal government regard us as renegades in Borno state.

“If not, why won’t somebody even come and know what is on ground? Why won’t the Federal Government extend a hand of partnership to us through financial assistance? It is true that the situation may not seem to be abating now, but it is not peculiar to Borno as it is because it is everywhere right now.

“So, if we approach it from a holistic viewpoint and as a national problem, it will be better for us as a country. But as long as some people feel that it is the problem of a particular enclave or that it is the problem of Borno state, so shall the solution to this problem continue to defy us and find manifestation in different degrees in different places,” Bwala said.

He advised that there is the need for all stakeholders to sit down and discuss the best modalities for pursuing this matter adding that the Boko Haram impasse should not be seen as just a Borno problem.

“It is a Nigerian problem; it is a sub-regional problem. You have had a dose of it here in Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, and Gombe and even in Abuja,” he said.

However, some married women interviewed by our reporters said they were happy with the declaration of state of emergency because it has checkmated the excesses of their husbands.

“May the life of the state of emergency and the curfew be elongated,” Hauwa Sani, a housewife in Bolori area of Maiduguri, said.

“Since we got married about 8 years ago, my husband always came back home very late, sometimes around 11pm. He was always at Majalissa chatting with friends,” Hauwa said.

“Things have changed now, my husband comes back home as early are 5.30pm. My children are now appreciating that they are not orphans,” She said.

Marta Samuel of Dala Alamderi said her husband is now saving a lot of money. “He no longer goes to club and we always have time together at home. I love the state of emergency,” she said.

From December, 2011 to date, there are cases of attacks, some in the daylight while others in the dead of the night when the soldiers have chased everybody home.

On January 8, 2012, one person was killed while two others were injured during a daylight attacks at the popular Monday market in Maiduguri.

On January 31, 2012, gunmen killed four people in separate attack at the same Monday market and at Gomari airport.

And on February 2, 2012, Gunmen slaughtered 6 people in Shehuri north. Few days earlier, the JTF said it has killed 11 suspected members of the Boko during an encounter at a roadblock.

On February 10, 2012, two bombs exploded at Gwange and custom area of Maiduguri while on February 12, 2012, Gunmen killed three persons in Jere local government.

On February 20, 2012, Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram stormed Baga market with explosives and series of gun battles ensured between the JTF and the sect members, a development which left no fewer than 20 people dead.

On March 1, 2012, Gunmen set more schools ablaze and the trend continued for almost two weeks, a development that sacked over 10 public schools and forced more than 10,000 pupils out of school.

Just like in Borno, the declaration of State of Emergency in parts of Yobe State has also subjected people to hardships even though the new rule has reduced ugly incidences of gun running and killings.

As Sunday Trust observes, many check points have been mounted strategically within the affected towns of Damaturu, Potiskum, Gujba, Gaidam, and Gashua, making movements too difficult for motorists due to the stop and search operations

Aside the inconveniences, residents in the affected areas agreed on a common reason that the emergency rule helps so much in reducing the frequencies of attacks on many innocent lives but did not stop the gunmen from attacking their targets at will.

Alhaji Ashiru argued that the State of Emergency order did not bring any change to the security situation in Damaturu

“Even the stop and frisk they are doing did not prevent the gunmen from killing their targets. They kill ward heads, top government officials and security agents. Recently, they trailed a Zonal Customs controller to his house in Potiskum and killed him,” he said.

Usman Baana, a resident of Gashua town said the state of emergency has increased sundry crimes. “For a very long time, we have not heard of any case of shop breaking until when this emergency rule was put in place,” he said.

However, Mala Yunusa Mohammed, a resident of Damaturu told Sunday Trust that with the declaration of the Emergency, people’s attitudes have changed.  They are a bit disciplined and careful despite molestations by the security operatives in the town.

“Before the declaration of emergency, police were always handling cases of petty crimes like fighting, but you hardly see people going to police station for whatever reason now, they prefer to settle themselves at home or go to the mosques or churches and sometimes go to the house of the ward head,” he said.

Despite the divergent views on the declaration of state of emergency, our correspondents report that various stakeholders have agreed that the action, coupled with unabated insurgency has crippled the economy of the people.

“Markets are down and people are generally wallowing in poverty,” James Manchok, a sociologist said.

Chairmen of the affected local government areas are also complaining that since the declaration of the emergency, they had not been getting their monthly federal allocations, a development which according to them has denied them providing water, health and good environmental sanitation for the people.

“I doubt much if the state of emergency will have the desired impact when the local people are aggrieved. We believe there is the need for the federal government to release council’s funds and also assist us with some palliative measures in order to assuage the pains of our people,” Yusuf Adamu, the caretaker chairman of Biu local government area of Borno State, said.

Observers say the ultimate solution to the ongoing imbroglio is dialogue. “The federal government must put a structure on ground that will facilitate dialogue. It makes little sense to keep on saying it is ready for dialogue on the pages of newspaper,” A senior lecturer at the University of Maiduguri, who craved for anonymity said.

“The recommendations of the Ambassador Gaji Galtimari are there. Why not gazette it?” he asked.

He also advised members of the Boko Haram to seize fire; the JTF to stop arresting suspects and then the Dr Datti Ahmed led Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria to continue with its mediatory role.

“We lost so much in this protracted killing spree and there is the urgent need for reconciliation. The federal government should set the pace,” he said.