Why state of emergency in Anambra?

MINISTER of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), stirred the hornet’s nest last week when he hinted that the Federal Government had on the cards the imposition of a state of emergency in Anambra State. Fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Malami said that the government would do all that was necessary to ensure peaceful conduct of the governorship election slated for next month in the state. He said: “When our national security is attacked and the sanctity of our constitutionally guaranteed democracy is threatened, no possibility is ruled out. So, within the context of these constitutional obligations of the government or the desire to establish democratic norms and order, you cannot rule out possibilities, including the possibility of declaration of a state of emergency where it is established, in essence, that there is a failure on the part of the state government to ensure the sanctity of security of lives, properties and democratic order.”

While it is within the purview of any government that is worth its salt to do everything possible to safeguard the peaceful existence of its people within the confines of law and order, the statement by the AGF smacks of partisanship. It is akin to the proverbial abandonment of leprosy to treat eczema. This is because, on the list of states where violence and disorder are prevalent in Nigeria, Anambra ranks comparatively low. The logic in imposing emergency rule on the state while ignoring other states where insecurity is decidedly more frightening is patently fractured. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is afflicted by insecurity on all fronts.

While the northeastern part of the country is ravaged by Boko Haram terrorism, with Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps burgeoning with inmates on a daily basis, the northwest is enmeshed in banditry. There, bandits shoot down military jets at will, killing scores of people on a daily basis and kidnapping school children in droves. Indeed, Boko Haram terrorists are reported to be forcing residents of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State to marry off their daughters at 12 years of age, and ordering them to disregard any authority by anyone else. Yet, this has not attracted AGF Malami’s rage, and the government in which he serves as the Number One Law Officer has not seen any need to impose a state of emergency on Niger State.

The southeastern part of the country is ravaged by the lawlessness of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), whose members set ablaze government property, kill at will, and have taken over the power of the Nigerian state to impose a criminally prolonged stay-at-home order on the people. We dare say that Anambra is not at the zenith of violent unrests that have seized the jugular of Igboland. It has certainly not outpaced Imo in the order of lawlessness.

If any state in the South-East deserves emergency rule, the Federal Government surely knows where to go. The South-West is ravaged by kidnapping and group violence that erupts at will. Amidst all of this, the question is, what is so special about the Anambra situation that warrants the imposition of a state of emergency by the Muhammadu Buhari-led government?

This question becomes apposite because the Buhari government has not found it necessary to impose emergency rule on the North-East where bandits have conveniently turned themselves into the state, stopping farmers from going to till the ground and killing traders at will. Among other dastardly incidents, for 12 grueling days, 75 students who were recently kidnapped from the Government Day Secondary School, Kaya, in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State remained in captivity. The situation in the zone is so bad that governors have had to take desperate measures to safeguard their people. In Katsina State, for example, Governor Aminu Masari had to close two major roads, namely Jibia to Gurbin Baure and Kankara to Sheme, to traffic, while advising commercial vehicles to ply the Funtua road. These measures have however not stopped bandits from continually committing heinous crimes in that part of the country.

We note that the AGF is fond of making provocative utterances, talking down on state governments and making statements that are grossly unbecoming of the revered office that he occupies. Sadly, his latest statement has already given rise to conspiracy theories about the actual intention of Nigeria’s ruling party in the Anambra election slated for November. In any case, while the election is important, we state that elections are made for humans and not humans for elections. The security of the people before, during and after elections should be paramount. There are grounds for believing that the Federal Government is only concerned about the situation in Anambra State because a governorship election is in the offing. This is, to say the least, an untidy state of affairs.

The Federal Government must come down from its high horse and confer with the people of Anambra and the South-East in general. More importantly, it should be equitable in administering the country and change the narrative by the people that they are being treated as inconsequential members of the Nigerian federation.

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