Boko Haram: Jonathan under fire in Senate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi, Tobias Lengnan Dapam, Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri with agency report

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday came under sever attacks in the Senate, as the lawmakers took turns to express disappointment over the way and manner his government has been handling the insurgency in the North East region of the country.

Meanwhile, seven suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram sect, who have been terrorizing Shaffa town and its environs, in Hawul local government area of Borno state were arrested.

The Senate, during its first day of plenary after its summer break, expressed fear that if the insecurity in the north east persists, the conduct of 2015 general elections may not be feasible, especially given the volatility and killings going on the region.

Senate President, David Mark, has expressed concern that the Boko Haram insurgents are growing bolder and daring on daily basis, calling on the federal government to declare total war on the insurgents.

Speaking yesterday,on the motion titled: “Threat to National Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Nigeria by Insurgents”, which was sponsored by Victor Ndoma Egba, the senators expressed disappointment that despite their efforts at giving the largest chunk of the annual budget to security and defence, Boko Haram insurgency is yet to abate.

According to Mark: ”Let me say, without any doubt at all, that the nation is at war; that is the issue. So it is not about whether it is Boko Haram or not Boko Haram. There is no difference between the situation in the North-East now and if any other country has declared war on Nigeria.

“My suggestion here is how do we prosecute this war, because there is a real war for us; whether it is on one section of the country or it’s covering the whole country.

“We haveadilemma on our hands here, because there is a limit to what we can say here in plenary and what we can discuss in a close-door session. So, we have to be a bit careful. This is why I have said that this is the time to support our armed forces, to encourage them so that they can prosecute this war and at this stage, all of us are involved, whether you are in uniform or out of uniform.

“We have to find a solution to it, back the military, mobilize as much as we can, bring back all our war resources together so that we can prosecute this war. There is no way in which we are just going to say that this is exclusively to one section of this country, no; and I don’t think that that is the thinking in any quarter. Unfortunately, we are not satisfied with the way the war has been prosecuted so far, we want a better strategy, we want a very concise, very precise statement that can give directions on how we are going to prosecute this war and end it as quickly aspossible”, he further asserted.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who opened debate on the matter, regretted that the Senate had severally invited the security chiefs, who had severally promised to defeat the insurgents, yet the insurgency keep worsening daily.

He expressed fear that the situation is getting to the stage where it will be difficult to give assurance to Nigerians, calling on the Senate to rise up and invoke a doctrine of necessity as was done in the past.

In his speech, Ali Ndume, said the Boko Haram insurgents have occupied the north east, where they deposed existing Emirs of Gwoza and Bama and installed their own Emirs, which came after they declared a caliphate for themselves.

“The insurgency has got out of hands, the soldiers are running away into another country. These Boko Haram are not up to ten thousand but the Nigerian military are over one hundred thousand, so if hundred Boko Haram with no guns and training can chase away over five hundred thousand soldiers with Ak47s in a division, then there is problem. Government should help the Borno people, it can be anybody tomorrow”, he said.

The Senator representing Yobe-East Senatorial zone, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, also disclosed that the insurgents have taken absolute control of thirteen local governments in the three north east states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa.

At the end of the debate, the Senate resolved to impress on President Goodluck Jonathan to declare complete war against the insurgents, saying they are ready to make every necessity available for the prosecution of the war.

Meanwhile, no fewer than seven (7) suspected members of dreaded Boko Haram sect who have been terrorizing Shaffa town and its environs in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno state were arrested on Monday following a tip off.

Shaffa is about 4 kilometres drive from Azare, the headquarters of Hawul, which is south and 200 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital.

In a related development, a non-governmental organisation, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele,  a 14-day ultimatum to name the senior staff of the bank with links to the Boko Haram sect.

Stephen Davis, an Australian cleric who tried to negotiate the release of the abducted Chibok girls, had alleged that a senior staff of the bank is sympathetic to the cause of Boko Haram.

And in a letter sent to the CBN on Monday, SERAP threatened that if by the expiration of the ultimatum, no effort is made to grant its request, it would invoke all means within its legal authority to compel the leadership of CBN to act.

“Given the involvement of the CBN in this matter and the fact that you are the governor of the bank, we believe that you will be able to use your position and leadership to provide appropriate records and information on what exactly happened,” SERAP said, in a statement signed by its executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni.