Tension in Maiduguri, Yola, as FG deploys more troops

 
There was palpable tension in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Wednesday following Tuesday’s imposition of emergency rule on the state, alongside Yobe and Adamawa.
President Goodluck Jonathan announced the imposition of emergency rule on the states in a televised address on Tuesday night to nip the growing incidents of mindless killings of both military personnel and civilians by the Boko Haram insurgents.
“What we are facing is a rebellion and insurgency by terrorist groups which pose a very serious threat to … territorial integrity,” Jonathan said in the address.
Large numbers of troops moved into the three states as part of a plan to rout the insurgents who have seized control of significant parts of the North East region since 2009.
“The operations, which will involve massive deployment of men and resources, are aimed at asserting the nation’s territorial integrity and enhancing the security of … all territories within Nigeria’s borders,” a statement from Defence Headquarters said.
A Reuters news agency correspondent reported seeing six trucks carrying soldiers enter Yola, capital of Adamawa State on Wednesday.
In Maiduguri, residents also reported seeing large deployment of troops and the mood was tense.
Shops were mostly shut and there were few people on the streets. Schools were closed.
“What I saw this morning scared me,” said one Maiduguri resident, Ahmed Mari.
“I have never seen soldiers on the move quite like this before.”
Another resident, Kabir Laoye, spoke of widespread fears that civilians could be caught up in the conflict.
“There is a lot of apprehension about the state of emergency,” he said.
Another source put the total number of security operatives already on ground in the three states at 5,700.
Intelligence sources at the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) told our correspondent in a telephone interview on Wednesday that already, about 2,000 security personnel, together with military hardware, including fighter jets and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), have been deployed to Maiduguri alone ahead of the declaration of emergency rule.
The neighbouring Yobe and Adamawa states share the remaining.
One of the sources, who said the exercise was purely a military affair, however, added that “other security agencies in the country would offer support to the soldiers.”
He said some 1,500 operatives were expected in Yobe while Adamawa would play host to about 1,200 soldiers and other security agents.
However, a source on ground in Maiduguri said shortly after the declaration of state of emergency, stop and search operations were intensified in the metropolis while movement was restricted in other places.
He said the deployment of the troops, including the army, navy, air force and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) began at the weekend.
The source, a retired senior police officer who resides in the Kumshe part of the town, said his neighbour was beaten to pulp on Sunday when soldiers besieged the areas and forced all the people out of their houses.
Kumshe is one of the hot spots in Maiduguri.
“All the soldiers that came to the neighbourhood appeared new in the town, some of them said it will be ‘fire for fire’,” he said.
Another resident said he saw military aircraft landing at the Maiduguri International Airport and the airstrip at the air force base in the state capital.
“We are really terrified because the military operatives coming to Maiduguri in the last two days far outnumbered those that came during the previous emergency rule,” she said.
“Though the state Governor has not been removed, which is good, the truth is that Maiduguri is now a garrison town, full of angry soldiers who are ready to kill at the slightest provocation. The deployment will definitely hamper social and economic life of the people,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force (JTF) structure in the affected states has been dismantled and some of the soldiers recalled to their former duty posts.