Nigeria’s northern neighbours – Chad, Niger and Cameroon – have tightened security at their borders with the country to prevent members of the Boko Haram sect from fleeing an ongoing military campaign.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on
Monday ordered a full-scale military operation and a state of emergency
in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, in response to the growing state of
insecurity in these states and some other parts of the North.
His nationwide broadcast confirmed Saturday PUNCH’s May 11, 2013 lead story titled, ‘FG may declare state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, others’.
A top security source who confided in
our correspondent because he was not authorised to do so said the
decision to close down the borders followed an appeal by President
Goodluck Jonathan to the neighbouring countries for their cooperation in
the emergency broadcast.
The military source said, “It is true
that the nation’s borders with Niger, Cameroon and Chad have been
closed. It is expected. You remember that the President included it in
his broadcast.
“He said that government would reach out to those countries along the borders to get their cooperation in this issue.”
The President had said while declaring a
state of emergency in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, on
Tuesday that he had commenced effective networking with Nigeria’s
neighbours to the North for support in the ongoing operation against the
militants.
Jonathan said he had approached the
leadership of the border nations to help apprehend terrorists escaping
from Nigeria into their territories.
“I am again approaching our neighbouring
countries, through diplomatic channels, as done in the recent past, for
their co-operation in apprehending any terrorist elements that may
escape across the border.
“Nigerians are peace-loving people;
these sad events perpetrated by those who do not wish our nation well
have not changed the essential character of our people.’
Prior to the presidential broadcast,
Chadian and Nigerien security forces had been collaborating with their
Nigerian counterparts under the Multinational Joint Task Force to check
the growing incidents of violent crimes along the nation’s border with
her neighbours.
Attempts to obtain comments from the
diplomatic missions of Chad, Niger and Cameroon were unsuccessful as
calls made to their officials were not answered.
The MJTF was established in 1998 by the
armed forces of the three countries in response to the growing
insecurity in the Lake Chad region.
The mandate of the task force was
extended in April 2012, to cover the fight against terrorism in that
part of the country, with the increase in the activities of Islamic
militants along the borders. Meanwhile, there are indications of anger
in the military over the Northern elite’s persistent opposition to its
operations against the militant Islamic sect.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the military was concerned that comments of the elite were demoralising.
Saturday PUNCH also learnt that
the military expressed its concern in its report on the fact finding
mission to Baga, Borno State, where 185 people were alleged to have been
killed.
It said in the report, which was
submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan two weeks ago, that the
northern elite were against the MJTF.
It blamed the elite for reports which
claimed that hundreds of people died in Baga, where Boko Haram and the
military clashed recently.
The report stated, “The hostile and
antagonic perception of the MNJTF, the demand for its withdrawal, the
deliberate fabrication of stories are calculated to soil the image of
the military.
“This is really demoralising to the
Nigerian military, which has remained a veritable pillar for the
nation’s unity and national security.
“What the nation needs at this time is
the nation’s unity and security. What the nation needs at this time is
national cohesion through guided comments by the elite and not the
mischievous support for a terrorist organisation, whose ideology is
nothing more than seeking the destruction of the country.”
But speaking on the state of the nation,
the Convener of the Northern Political Leaders, Dr. Junaid Mohammed,
said, “I do not support the declaration of the state of emergency in the
three states of the north because firstly, what is provided for in the
constitution is not as declared by the President.
“Asking these corrupt office-holders to
remain in place is, in my view, unconstitutional as is also clearly it
presents a picture of the President and a presidency that are frankly
confused and fully devoid of any ideas that will move the country
forward.
“They have run out of ideas, even bad
ideas. I speak with authority on this. Secondly, the conduct of the
Nigerian Army Nigerian armed forces has demonstrated that they have
been run as an army of occupation based on a sectarian, ethnic,
religious and other considerations this is not an army that can protect
Nigerians.
“If the army had behaved like an army of
occupation, one can only imagine what they will do now giving the
dubious mandate given by the President.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is
considering how best to secure the country’s borders with the Republic
of Benin in the face of strong suspicion that some foreigners may have
hands in the security challenges in parts of the country.
Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, stated
this on Friday while speaking with State House correspondents after
attending a stakeholders’ meeting on Nigeria’s international boundaries
presided over by Vice-President Namadi Sambo and attended by governors
of the border states, relevant ministries and agencies of government.
Moro said the meeting was also convened
to address issues that arose from recent skirmishes between Nigerians
and citizens of Benin Republic in order to prevent escalation of the
crisis.
He said, “In recent times, we have been
having some security challenges and it is only instructive that we
continue to take all measures to ensure that we do not open ourselves to
become vulnerable to external incursion.
“What informed this meeting is the fact
that we have been trying to define the level of involvement of foreign
elements in these incessant bomb blasts and suicide bombings in Nigeria.
“And only recently, we have had some
skirmishes between citizens of our country around the borders and those
of the Republic of Benin, and it becomes necessary to fast-track the
ongoing process of border demarcation between both countries.
“And a measure of progress has been made
along this line and also, we have an unfinished business of finally
demarcating and agreeing on international boundaries between Nigeria and
the Republic of Benin.”
The minister said stakeholders had
agreed on the need to continue to maintain peace at the borders and to
maintain the cordial relationship between the citizens of the two
countries.
He gave an assurance to Nigerians living
in those border communities that the government was aware of their
presence and that the country was ready to protect their welfare and
wellbeing wherever they find themselves.
Moro said it was expected that as two
brotherly countries that have bilateral agreements on border patrol and
control, the government of the Republic of Benin would reciprocate
Nigeria’s gesture of extending a hand of fellowship to them.
PUNCH
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