President Goodluck Jonathan may be compelled to declare a state of emergency in Nasarawa State, if there is no end in the recurring violent killings and clashes between the Ombatse militia group of Eggon and the Alago ethnic group, a military source has informed DailyPost.
Already, stakeholders including traditional and religious leaders, affected communities, some state and federal lawmakers, are canvassing for an emergency rule which they believe would put the crisis under control.
The president had earlier in the week ordered the military to take over flash points in the state, with the aim of curbing the recent violence that has left scores dead.
A ranking officer of the Nigerian Army confided in DailyPost on Friday morning that it is true government was “seriously” weighing the option of a state of emergency.
On when Nigerians should expect the announcement, he said “I have no information on that actually because the decision has not been reached.
Asked if the military would eventually move once the crisis escalates, the source said “Yes, it is possible. But that will only happen if the present troops deployed could not stabilise the situation.”
Meanwhile, Chairman, Senate Committee on Senate Services, Senator Suleiman Adokwe, representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District, on Thursday confirmed that moves were on to ensure that a state of emergency was imposed on the state.
He narrated how the renewed fighting brought business activities in the state to a halt on Monday, adding that soldiers had to be drafted from Benue and Plateau States to Lafia, the state capital.
Adokwe said: “I was in Nasarawa when the brouhaha broke out and up till today, nobody can give you a precise reason as to the outbreak of the hostilities but before you knew it, there was a free-for-all killing. It was almost like a full-blown war. For three days, people were being killed, massacred, houses were being burnt down with bulldozers, trees were being hacked down, villages were being wiped out, to show that nobody ever lived there. This went on for like two days.
“I was trapped in Lafia and it was very clear that this was worse than a normal, communal clash; it was a war situation. Soldiers came but they were not sufficient to contain the outbreak of hostilities and we had to move to see that more soldiers were drafted from Makurdi, Shendam and Keffi. They had to be mobilised to the state before a level of normalcy could be restored.
“So, I applaud the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to send soldiers down there. In fact, I had prepared a motion, to seek for a state of emergency but at the moment, the deployment of the soldiers is quite sufficient to mitigate the problem.
“If we study the situation and we feel it is not sufficient, I’m going to back my members of the State House of Assembly who had already called for a state of emergency; that is what we really need in the state.
Senator Adokwe equally noted that the Ombatse group failed to appear before the state’s panel of enquiry set up to unravel what happened when more than 60 policemen were killed in the state early this year.
“We are dealing with people who do not believe in due process. They had refused to avail themselves of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry set up by the state government where people were expected to go and state their cases.
“Because the Ombatse is not your everyday social organisation, this is almost an occult organisation that has different rules from regular rules that apply to normal societies. So, they damned the consequences. They don’t give a damn!
“And so, its either the law enforcement agencies make proper arrests and do criminal prosecution of whoever is perpetrating this or they would continue to have a field day and that is our submission; that the Commissions of Enquiry or White Papers are not going to work!”, he stated.
He lamented that his people had recorded heavy casualties in the renewed violence, stating that the federal government needed to quickly restore order in the state and avert a spill-over of the crisis to nearby Federal Capital Territory.
“What would work is simple; whoever is a criminal that is perpetrating crimes should be fished out and prosecuted.
“Everybody that cares to listen, including the Federal Government , should know that Nasarawa State is as good as being part and parcel of the Federal Capital Territory and the problem of Nasarawa State is the problem of Ngeria.
“If the security agencies and government would not rise up to secure Nasarawa State, it follows, as a matter of course that the FCT is not safe. Marauders can invade the FCT from Nasarawa State within five minutes. It is imperative, strategic that security agencies of the nation secure Nasarawa State.
“Now that they have seen what it meant, on Monday, when this issue escalated, nobody could go down to Makurdi, nobody could come in to Abuja! If you are coming in from Jos and other parts of the North East and the South East, you are trapped. This clearly showed that we have to do something to secure that place,” he added.
コメント