Northern youths, Tuesday, lashed out at the Federal Government for slamming state of emergency on three northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, describing the move as punitive and a serious setback to democracy. They contended that the declaration of emergency rule in the affected states did not only negate the recent amnesty committee to dialogue with Boko Haram members but equally showed that the government was insincere in raising the committee in the first place.
This position was shared by the Presidents of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima and his Arewa Youth Forum, Alhaji Gambo Gujungu, in separate interviews with Vanguard. Shettima, who described the action of the government as a ploy to further humiliate and expose the people of the north to avoidable hardship, regretted that the administration had continued to take actions that deny the people the true benefits of democracy.
The ACF leader, who questioned why Bayelsa State was not included on the list despite the large number of policemen killed by kidnappers and militants in recent weeks, noted that the action was deliberately taken to punish the north. On the other hand, Gujungu noted that the President should have adopted a political approach to resolve the insurgency problem rather than apply the stringent rule, which he noted, would lead to serious suffering on the part of the citizens of the three states. “The emergency rule declared in the three states is unfortunate, politically-motivated and totally uncalled for,” he noted.
-Vanguard
-Vanguard
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