*Military imposes dusk-to-dawn curfew
Clement Ekong, Yola.
FORTY-EIGHT hours after the declaration of emergency rule in three North-East states by President Goodluck Jonathan to curb insurgency, Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State on Thursday protested the inclusion of his state.
The emergency rule was also declared in Borno and Yobe states.
To the retired Naval officer, there are other states with more security challenges than Adamawa and the inclusion of his state was ‘sad and shocking’.
He, however, appealed to the people to be calm.
In a state broadcast, he said: “True, this state has witnessed a few criminal activities by armed hoodlums in the last few years, but so are other states in the federation. Adamawa has been a peaceful state in the North-Eastern zone as declared by National and International peace groups”.
The governor, therefore, called upon all the citizens of the state to remain calm and not to do anything that could jeopardise peace.
“Our children and young people should do this fervently as they stand to be the greatest victims if things go wrong during the period of emergency.
“May the Almighty God protect and defend us against the evil of a few who want to have our children killed and maimed and our state devastated”.
The governor pledged his administration’s maximum support and cooperation to the security agencies operating in the state “in an effort to fish out the bad eggs among the people”.
Meanwhile, the headquarters of the 23 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Yola has imposed a 6pm to 6am curfew in the state.
In a related development, Nigeria and Cameroon have agreed to strengthen cooperation and collaboration on trans-border security.
This was disclosed on Thursday when President Goodluck Jonathan met with the Vice Prime Minister of Cameroon, Mr. Ahmadou Ali in Abuja.
The special message from President Paul Biya included an invitation to attend a summit on security and maritime safety in the Gulf of Guinea to be hosted by Cameroon.
Jonathan accepted the invitation and said current global security challenges make it imperative for countries to cooperate maximally to protect their citizens.
‘As criminality and terrorism have risen globally, it is important for countries to cooperate maximally to protect citizens,’ he stated.
Jonathan also briefed Ali on the state of emergency declared in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and assured the special envoy that Nigeria would work with her neighbours to ensure security in the sub-region.
