Living in ‘states of emergency’ – Citizens clueless about rules – Investigation

Many are wondering whether the selective declaration of emergency rule would address the problem of insecurity even as some faulted the criteria that were used to decide which states would be affected considering the fact that some equally troubled states were left out. However, key among the opposition against the imposition of emergency rule, is […]

Many are wondering whether the selective declaration of emergency rule would address the problem of insecurity even as some faulted the criteria that were used to decide which states would be affected considering the fact that some equally troubled states were left out. However, key among the opposition against the imposition of emergency rule, is the argument that it will not change the state of things in the affected states. “In any case, soldiers have already taken over these places that were just declared state of emergency, so there is nothing new in it,” a public affairs analyst observed.

 

About three weeks into the emergency rule, however, investigations by Weekly Trust showed that the situation has remained the same in all the areas the emergency rule was imposed. Killings and bombings have continued unabated in Borno and Yobe since. On January 10, 2011, seven civilians and a police inspector were killed and many others injured in Potiskum when some gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect stormed a beer joint. Witnesses said a young girl and a bar attendant were among the eight people killed.

Residents say the declaration of state of emergency has done “very little” in addressing insecurity there. Amidst the public outcry, the state government has banned private and commercial motorcycle operation in five major towns of the state. Some also say the action only subjects them to hardship. “I feel the state government should declare curfews in areas of dispute and not across the state, because the disposition has crippled social and economic activities,” Malam Mansir, a resident of Gashua, said.

Like in Yobe, the imposition of emergency rule has not doused the heightened tension in Maiduguri, Borno State, as gunmen have continued their killing sprees. Several explosions have been recorded since the government’s decision with consequent loss of lives and destruction of property.

Maiduguri and the adjoining Jere local government area have been under serious attacks by the dreaded Boko Haram sect, prompting the deployment of troops under the Joint Task Force (JTF) to the state.

Since the proclamation, however, there are no changes in the way residents live, but some have expressed fear over the declaration, saying it would give the soldiers more opportunity to infringe on their rights.

Babakura Yusuf, a resident of London Ciki in Jere local government area commented: “We receive the news with mixed feelings here. We are at the receiving end of all the measures put in place by the government since the crisis started here. There were killings of innocent residents whenever the soldiers and sect members engage themselves in this area. We have our movements restricted. So, when the emergency rule was imposed, the fear among residents heightened.”

Weekly Trust gathered that additional troops have not been deployed following the declaration of emergency to Maiduguri metropolis, but there’s an increase in the numbers of military vehicles patrolling the streets. Once it is 7pm, movement is restricted due to surveillance and increase in the number of military checkpoints on the roads, but that is also not new as there have been self-imposed curfews of sorts since Boko Haram’s onslaught began.

Social and commercial activities are at the lowest ebb for months in the metropolis even before the proclamation. Some residents of Maiduguri, the state capital who spoke to Weekly Trust agreed that they have been under an informal emergency rule in the city for months before the official pronouncement by the president. “I don’t think there is any difference between what we were experiencing before and what we are seeing now after the declaration of state of emergency. The conditions are always there and the same every day. The checkpoints, the restrictions of movement, the fear were all there. So there is really no difference,” a resident who simply identified himself as Modu said.

For Plateau State, while normal economic and business activities have continued in Barkin Ladi, Jos North, Jos South and Riyom local government areas, where the emergency rule was imposed, the security situation has remained as it was prior to the declaration. Heavy presence of security was the order of the day since the presidency ordered the military to take charge in the state in the wake of crises that engulfed the affected council areas since the last quarter of 2010.

Most of the residents of the areas are in the dark about the details of the emergency rule, especially whether it affected the democratic structures in place therein. “I wouldn’t know how the declaration would affect the running of the local governments until work resumes fully and we’ll see how things are going, but you know since the declaration, one cannot say that full work has resumed at the secretariat,” said a local government employee in Riyom, who prefers not to be named.

The unclear nature of the state of emergency itself has led to series of agitations on part of the leaders in the state.

Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Oladipo Ayeni said details of the emergency rule has not been unfolded to them. “But we will continue to do our job, maintain law and order; and we want to assure the public that we are on top of the situation,” Ayeni said.

Though the state government welcomed the directive, many in the state have differed on that. Members representing the state in the National Assembly from the state on their part, had called on President Goodluck Jonathan not to lump Plateau with other northern states in the application of the measure since its case is peculiar.

Led by Senator Gyang Dantong, the members said this is more so as President Jonathan justified his declaration of state of emergency on “the security challenges which the activities of the Boko Haram sect has foisted on the country.” They say in the case of Plateau, the acts of violence are not domiciled within the affected local government areas in the same way as the terrorist activities of the Boko Haram mould in the north eastern part of the country.

Most residents of Jos, however, maintain that nothing has changed as they say they’re yet to see anything different from what was obtainable prior to the declaration. Our correspondent who interviewed some residents reports that apart from the presence of Special Task Force, which has been the on ground since the outbreak of hostilities in the state in January 2010, nothing has changed as far as security is concerned with the imposition of the emergency rule.

Malam Musa Abubakar, a public affairs commentator told Weekly Trust that the emergency rule has a lot of political undertones, stressing that there is nowhere such thing has ever happened in the world. “President Jonathan from all indication does not want to hurt the feelings of some people, that is why he decided to declare this kind of half-baked emergency rule. It has no clear sense of direction,” he observed. Special Task Force (STF) Media and Information Officer, Captain Charles Ekeocha, had earlier said that they are going to continue to maintain the status quo until they receive further directives from the appropriate authority.

Like elsewhere, the declaration of emergency rule in Suleja by the Federal Government has not resulted in the deployment of military personnel to the area. “There is no heavy presence of military personnel as assumed and business and social life in Suleja town, the headquarters of the Local government council were not greatly affected,” residents confirmed.

Military personnel are only seen on major roads of the town, most often on surveillance patrol. One of the residents, who is also a provision shop keeper, Isa Shehu said from the date the declaration was made to last Tuesday, when a 24-hour curfew was imposed in all the 25 Local Government Areas of the state, both economic and social life in Suleja had remained the same. But he added that the good news is military personnel are concentrating on their assigned duties, and there are no reports of harassment from them.