Why Adamawa was included, by Tukur

[TGD]

 AMID the controversy trailing the declaration  of emergency rule in some Northern states, the  People's Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Wednesday said that geo-graphical, commercial, ethnic and religious affinity between Borno and Adamawa  states accounted for Adamawa State.

He also called on all governors to take more serious steps to tackle security challenges.

He said that the emergency rule could only achieve desired result if other states took measures to collaborate the efforts of the Federal Government in the fight against terrorism.

In an interview Wednesday in Abuja, Tukur said no sacrifice was too much in fighting terrorism in the country.

On why the emergency rule was also imposed on his state, Adamawa, the PDP boss said that the consideration of the government was that since Borno and Adamawa were geographically contiguous, it made a lot of sense to engage terrorists within the zones broadly in an attempt to break their network and areas of stronghold.

He said both the southern Borno and the northern Adamawa share close affinity in social lives, ethnicity, religion, commerce and trade, such that the government needed to create a corridor and a buffer zone for engaging the terrorists in the two axis.

Tukur said it was incumbent on the Federal Government to recourse to a preventive approach even in the fight against terrorists, a reason he said Adamawa fell in the list of states of the North to be safely protected if the emergency rule should work.

He advised that all other states should monitor their borders even as the military and other security men were in charge in the three states affected by emergency rule.

He added: "Before now, I have been campaigning against terrorism which I described as evil. I said the fight against the evil must involve everyone and not security personnel alone.

 

"If our security men are fighting terrorists in Yobe, the neighbouring states should not fold their arms. We all need to be more vigilant and active such that if terrorists escape from one state, they would have no breathing space in any area they may decide to invade with the aim of re-grouping."

 



The Guardian