The President of Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has called on the federal government to impose a full scale state of emergency in the northeast states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, in order to completely put an end to the strongholds of Boko Haram activities.
Oritsejafor, who made this call after a special prayer for the protection and safe arrival of the over 230 Chibok students abducted by the dreaded sect, said that the existence of the governors of the three states side by side with military operation had not produced the desired result.
It would be recalled that the 19 northern states chapters of CAN had a few days ago made similar demand, insisting that the presence of the governors was derailing military operations.
President Goodluck Jonathan had, upon the expiration of the six months of emergency rule in the Boko Haram infested states, written to the National Assembly seeking its extension. While the House of Representatives had given its nod, the Senate is yet to ratify it.
When asked to comment on the desirability of the extension, the CAN president emphatically stated that it was most justified, insisting that without the military operations, the dreaded sect would have taken over the reins of governments in the affected states.
He gave an example of Borno State where, prior to the declaration of the emergency rule, the sect had carved out the greater percentage of the state for its own rule.
According to Oritsejafor, “Government is very justified by extending the emergency rule in the North East of the country. Like I said inside the building, before the state of emergency was declared, more than half of Borno, for example is in the hands of Boko Haram.”
“If it was not declared, what would have happened by now? I believe that extending the state of emergency is good, probably they should even go further than that.”
