House of Representatives Approves Emergency Rule Extension In 3 States
The House or Representatives has approved emergency rule extension in the states mostly affected by insurgency, Premium Times reports.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Tuesday requested the National Assembly to extend the emergency rule for 6 more months in the troubled Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
Despite strong opposition from these states governors, after the Thursday meeting with service chiefs, the House decided in favour of the move.
The final decision will be delivered on Tuesday after the voting by the Senate, as both chambers of the National Assembly must approve the ruling.
If the Senate votes "for", it would be the second time the emergency rule is extended by Jonathan.
Meanwhile some officials, generally from the 3 mentioned states, vowed to block the president's request referring to ineffectiveness of the current situation and to the escalating violence in Borno and Yobe states.
"As long as we must support our troops, we have to get to the root of the matter of what happened; they have to justify the need for the extension," said Bashir Adamu, the chairman House committee on defence.
UPDATE:
Service chiefs explained that without the six-month extension, the United States and other Allied Forces cannot operate freely to rescue the 276 abducted girls, The Nation reports.
According to them, the main reasons for extension are:
- it's necessary because of the "unpredictable" situation and "threat to peace" in these states;
- it will lead to intelligence gathering and operation against the terrorists;
- it will give foreign military colleagues legal backing to enter any area in Nigeria to rescue the girls.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Usman Jubrin, was quoted saying during the meeting:
"It is only under the state of emergency that they [foreign collaborators] can function very well to search and rescue the abducted girls... Otherwise, after the insurgency, our soldiers and international collaborators will be appearing before International Criminal Court for crimes."
Source: Legit.ng
