The state of emergency imposed last night on three troubled states in Nigeria’s North-East will not achieve the desired peace, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has said.

President Goodluck Jonathan had in a nationwide broadcast announced emergency rule in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states in a desperate bid to check the Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

Reacting this morning, ACF National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony Sani, told News Express that emergency rule is a way of tackling force with force, which had never worked. He restated AFC’s preference for dialogue with the insurgents and appealed to Nigerians to give the amnesty committee set up last month by President Jonathan a chance to work.

Hear Sani: “ACF had earlier reacted when there were rumours going round that the government was considering state of emergency. ACF had doubted the efficacy of emergency rule in putting an end to insurgency, considering that it did not solve such problems in Plateau State and the other local government areas where there was emergency rule in the past. And when you consider the controversy and the negative image that attended the mayhem in Baga and Bama, then you begin to wonder about the wisdom of emergency rule that is expected to use force which has not delivered on peace so far.

“I think the government should locate the political will, determination, imagination and courage to take well considered risk in the management of the amnesty and dialogue. Meanwhile, Nigerians should give the committee a chance.”

•Photo: ACF Chairman, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed.