The Federal Government is contemplating imposing a state of emergency on Anambra State to ensure security of life and property and succesful conduct of the November 6 gubernatorial elections.
Episodic killings and violence have taken place in the state in recent times, including burning of security infrastructure, critical public assets and private homes.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, said while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday that the government would do everything possible to ensure the protection of life and property in the State.
He noted that where the Federal government observed that the state government was unable to ensure democratic order and security of life, it would not fail to step in.
Read him: “When our national security is attacked, and the sanctity of our constitutionally guaranteed democracy is threatened, no possibility is ruled out.
“As a government, we have a responsibility to ensure the sustenance of our democratic order. As a government, we have a responsibility to provide security to life and properties.
“So, within the context of these constitutional obligations, of the government or the desire to establish democratic norms and order, there is no possibility that [state of emergency] is out ruled.
“The government will certainly do the needful in terms of ensuring that our elections are held in a Anambra in terms of ensuring necessary security is provided, and in terms of ensuring protection is accorded to lives and property.
“So, what I’m saying in essence, no possibility is out ruled by government in terms of ensuring the sanctity of our democratic order, in terms of ensuring that our elections in Anambra holds, and you cannot out rule possibilities inclusive of the possibility of declaration or 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.
“So, our position as a government is if these elections are going to hold, necessary security, in terms of democratic order, must certainly prevail for the purpose of this election.”
The South-East Governors Forum and other leaders from the zone had, in a communique after a meeting in Enugu, said the ‘Ebube Agu’ security outfit would be established in all five states before the end of the year.
The communique had read in part: “The meeting agreed that the South-East Ebube Agu security outfit be launched in all the southeast states and laws passed in various southeast states before the end of 2021.”
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