Following Presidential request, the Senate Thursday unanimously approved extension of emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states for another six months.
President Goodluck Jonathan had on Wednesday sent a letter to the Upper Chamber, requesting for the extension of state of emergency which was declared in May in the three frontline states in the north-east.
The declaration of a state of emergency then was necessitated by escalation of attacks by the dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram. The frequent attacks had left dozens dead and several others injured.
Senate also resolved to summon all the Service Chiefs, including the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Saad Ibrahim and the Supervising Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof Viola Onwuliri, to give situation report on the emergency rule.
The Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, had moved a motion vide Order 136 of the Senate Standing Orders that the house go into a closed session to discuss and consider President Jonathan’s correspondence of a security report on the state of emergency in the three affected states from the Chief of Army Staff.
The motion was seconded by the Senate Minority Whip Ganiyu Solomon. Upon resumption of plenary, Ndoma-Egba announced that “the discussion in closed session was unanimous to extend the state of emergency in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.”
He therefore, moved that the Senate “approve the request of Mr President, to extend the state of emergency in the three states on the same terms and conditions as earlier approved and gazetted.
“Following from our consideration of the president’s request in a closed session, I also move that we invite the service chiefs and the Foreign Affairs Minister to confirm the impact of the state of emergency in those states.”
The Minority Whip, Ganiyu Solomon also seconded the motion.
