Senate gives condition for emergency extension

The Senate yesterday held a four hour closed door meeting with the service chiefs over President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.The senators had on Wednesday summoned the service chiefs to brief them on the implementation of the emergency rule since it was declared one year […]

The Senate yesterday held a four hour closed door meeting with the service chiefs over President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
The senators had on Wednesday summoned the service chiefs to brief them on the implementation of the emergency rule since it was declared one year ago. Those who briefed the lawmakers include Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar, Director General of the Department of State Services Mr. Ita Ekpenyon among others.
Speaking after the meeting, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the sitting said they were looking at the issue from diverse angles to ensure that the security in those states improved at the shortest possible time.
“We’ve also agreed to  do further consultations with all the necessary stakeholders to ensure that everybody would buy into whatever needs to be done to secure those states and to defeat insurgency in those states,” Ekweremadu said.
Other senators who also spoke to journalists after the meeting said they insisted that they won’t “rubber stamp” the request without first scrutinizing the implementation of the previous approvals.
Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi) said the senate resolved to make more consultations with other stakeholders to “get to the root of those issues. The state of emergency still remains; it is after Tuesday that it expires.”
Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe) said “we resolved that the President should also consult with the governors of the three states that are under the state of emergency.”
Lawan also called on President Goodluck Jonathan to be courageous to visit Chibok and Yobe state to commiserate with the parents of the abducted girls and build their confidence in the Nigerian state.
Sources in the senate told Daily Trust that the service chiefs told the MPs that unless the emergency rule is extended, they cannot continue to fight the insurgents.
“They also said that the foreign troops and security personnel that have come have said that they can’t operate without a legal protection. They are trying to avoid what happened in Odi and Zaki Biam where troops leveled villages and the people have secured judgments against the government,” the senator said.