Ramadan: FG May Relax Emergency Rule In Adamawa, Yobe

With about two weeks to the Holy Month of Ramadan, a fasting period for Muslims, the Federal Government may have decided to relax the State of Emergency in Adamawa and Yobe States by reviewing the time of curfew in the two states.
This was one of the highlights of the closed door meeting, yesterday, between members of the House of Representatives and service chiefs led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim at the National Assembly.
The Deputy Chairman of the House committee on media and public affairs, Hon Victor Ogene, disclosed this while briefing the media after what he described as an “interactive session” with the military that he claimed were “on top of the situation” and making progress save for a few challenges.
“Ramadan is approaching. Already from the signals we got, the restrictions will begin to be relaxed in at least Adamawa and Yobe states very soon, before or close to Ramadan. Already in Adamawa, they have two more hours taken off the curfew. If we have all these, that indicates that they (security agencies) are making progress”, he stated.
Rep Ogene further disclosed that the Defence Chief had revealed that 13 insurgents’ camps have been recaptured and adjoining areas were in the firm grip of the military.
On the challenge faced by the military the House spokesman said that the security operatives at the meeting tabled their challenges before the lawmakers, one of which was the problem of discerning non-Nigerians from Nigerian insurgents, since the areas most affected by the insurgency were in close proximity with neighbouring countries that share the same languages.
The National Assembly has proposed an amendment to the funding policy to place security on first line charge so as to eliminate bureaucratic and strengthen efficiency of relevant bodies and their response to emergencies.
Meanwhile, a report presented by the joint committee on Defence, Army, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence stated that the quantum of destruction of houses, vehicles and motorbikes were exaggerated. “There was manual count of 115 houses burnt as against the figure of 2000 houses given by the Governor ( Kashim Shettima) and 3059 houses by the district head.
Again, the yet-to-be considered report obtained by LEADERSHIP stated that the death toll of 185 was also inflated but there might be more than 37 deaths. The report insisted that there was no documentary evidence from either the natives or the military to ascertain the figures quoted.
“Although the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in company of some community youths counted 32 graves seven days after the incidence, yet it is difficult to ascertain the actual number of casualties” Senate President, David Mark said yesterday and added that the report will be debated today at plenary.