The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has begged President Goodluck Jonathan not to remove the emergency rule in the north-eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, as demanded by governors of the states.
The call was made on Thursday in a statement signed by IYC spokesperson, Eric Omare.
Omare urged the president to ignore calls by governors and other stakeholders to remove the emergency rule, saying all those calling for such are unpatriotic.
According to the statement, the comparison of the insurgence in the north-eastern states with the activities of militants in the Niger Delta in the last few years is totally unfounded. They pointed out that despite the remarkable efforts going into the attempt to curb the insurgents in the region by the military Joint Task Force (JTF), the problem persists, showing that the region is not ripe for the withdrawal of JTF
The group described advocates of the emergency rule removal, in spite of persistent threat as “sponsors of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgence”.
“It is on record that before the declaration of state of emergency, the terrorists had taken over most parts of those states, which they were using as their camps and it was the Military that sent them packing. Also, the comparison between the Niger Delta hostilities and the insurgency in the North East is unfounded”, he said.
Omare said IYC is calling on the government to retain the emergency rule because the terrorists’ activities have not abated in any way.
“The IYC regards the call [for the removal of the emergency rule] as unpatriotic and not in the best interest of the people of the North East, especially the youths, considering the present situation of insecurity in the North East”, Omare said.
“The IYC wishes to state that the fact that the activities of the terrorists have not abated despite the existing state of emergency is a justification to extend the state of emergency.
“If despite the existence of a state of emergency, terrorism has not abated in the Northeast, it follows that without the declaration of a state of emergency, the security situation in the north-eastern part of Nigeria would have degenerated to the situation obtainable in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen”.
