Southern Nigeria Assembly seeks extension of emergency rule in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe

By The Citizen

The Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to extend the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa on full scale, without pleading political exigencies.

'Nigeria today is in a state of war against itself and, therefore, the full deployment of tactics and strategies is imperative to win this war if Nigeria must remain one united in-dissoluble country,' the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly stated in a communique issued on Tuesday, after its emergency meeting in Abuja, spiked by the increasing activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the country,

It further urged the Federal Government to immediately close the borders of neighbouring countries to forestall the continuous infiltration of the country by mercenaries.

Chaired by a foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, with Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi and Dr Alex Ekwueme as co-chair, the Assembly said the Armed Forces should be allowed to do a thorough job of not only rescuing the over 225 students abducted from Chibok, but also clear Nigeria of terrorists.

The people of Southern Nigeria, the communique said, would not want to be ruled by any government that was a product of insurgency or blackmail.

It said the Borno State  governor, local government chairmen, traditional rulers and other prominent citizens and security agencies in the state should take full responsibility for the rescue of the abducted students.

The Assembly, however, lamented that some political leaders and elders in the country were playing politics with critical issues like security threat to the lives and property of fellow citizens.