Senate mum on extension of emergency rule

The senate did not deliberate on the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states despite meeting with service chiefs on Tuesday, Eyinnaya Abaribe, senate spokesman, has said.

The senate went into an executive session with Kenneth Minimah, a major-general and the chief of army staff; Alex Baden, an air marshal and the chief of air staff; and Ita Ekpeyong, the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSSS), which lasted for eight hours‎.

‎According to Abaribe, the discussions with the service chiefs were frank and detailed.

“We had a briefing and I can assure Nigerians that our military is up to the task in dealing with this matter,” he said.

“We looked into what has been the constraint of the Nigerian military in dealing with insurgency. We also looked into the budgetary provisions for them‎ and we looked into what has been done so far in containing the insurgency.

‎”I can tell you the senate was very impressed with the response from the military. The military has shown itself to be capable of dealing with the insurgency. The fact that they are capable of dealing with insurgency means that the senate will do all in its power to support them and bring this insurgency to a quick resolution.”

The service chiefs were supposed to appear before the senate last week, but the fracas at the national assembly necessitated the postponement of briefing to Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Suleiman Abba, the inspector general of police whom the senate summoned last week, failed to turn up, instead sending a representative who was sent out of the senate chambers.

Senate president, David Mark, announced that last week’s ‎commotion at the national assembly would be discussed at a plenary session on Wednesday.

“We had a briefing and the state of emergency was not on the table,” Abaribe said.