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Nigeria: President Jonathan declares emergency in 3 states in bid to stem Boko Haram “jihad”
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a “state of emergency” in three states menaced by al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group Boko Haram, saying the level of violence called for “extraordinary measures”.
The Boko Haram insurgents, who say they are fighting to create an Islamic state in the north, have carried out scores of attacks since 2009 but Jonathan said the violence can no longer be treated as “militancy or criminality”.
In a televised speech, he described the attacks as amounting to “a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to national unity and territorial integrity.
“I hereby declare a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states,” Jonathan said, referring to the three northeastern states which have been among the hardest hit.
He said more troops would “immediately” be deployed to the areas.
Jonathan made a similar move in January 2012 following a spate of Boko Haram attacks, but in that case the decree only applied to specific local government areas in four states.
In seeking to impose the measure across a whole state, Jonathan must first secure the approval of Nigerian legislators, which he pledged to do. The enhanced powers that come with the measure are unclear.
