Nigeria: State of Emergency and National Matters ArisingT has been the worst of times in Nigeria; this past month. The harvest of deaths has troubled Nigerians in ways that hack back to the frightening days of the civil war. There are very few places in Nigeria today that do not have the re-inforced presence of security forces

 

 

There is a lot that is wrong in the land! From Baga through to Bama, and other places in-between, Nigerians are caught up in an orgy of death and destruction which questions the efficacy of the state, as is presently constituted. Something just had to give.
It seemed that the Nigerian state has just woken from a slumber as its hegemony collapses all around it, in practically every corner of the country. A troubling variety of anti-state actors have become emboldened by the manner that the state has operated.
Citizens don't feel safe at home, work, leisure or at prayer. And the constitutional provision that emphasizes the central place of security of person and property, to the purpose of governance, has become very hollow in Nigeria. Citizens don't have a strong state to run to for cover. Self-help has become so central to the survival of people in communities.
It was against this background, that President Goodluck Jonathan took his decision to impose a state of emergency. The military will get a free reign while the institutions of governance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa will continue to function.
This was the only victory for reason in a process which seemed to have alarmed Nigerians from all walks of life, when the rumour first emerged a couple of days ago. People seemed to have recognized that the central government has a challenge to get to the roots of the insurgency, but they would not brook the suspension of lawfully constituted governmental authorities in the states concerned.
That is fine in itself but fundamentally, what does the declaration mean? How are the troops to operate and what will be the rules of engagement that one will hold the Nigerian security forces to strictly adhere to? What are they going to do differently from what they did in the recent past, which has led to accusations that the military inadvertently became recruiting sergeants for the insurgen