A separate military source speaking on condition of anonymity also told AFP that fighter jets would be deployed to the north-east, raising the possibility that federal government may carry out air strikes within its own territory.
Jonathan issued the emergency decree in a broadcast late Tuesday, acknowledging for the first time that Boko Haram Islamists had “taken over” parts of Borno State, the insurgents’ stronghold.
According to the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), the increased presence of troops in the states will enable the military quickly secure the borders of the affected states to ensure effective policing, cordon-off and search operations.
A report Wednesday by Reuters said army trucks, carrying soldiers, have entered Yola, the Adamawa State capital, and Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to reinforce the troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF) that have been in the states in the last few years to fight the Boko Haram terrorists.
Giving further insight into the deployment of troops, a top official of the Ministry of Defence said more troops had been sent to all the northern flanks of Nigeria’s borders in a bid to rout out the terrorists.
Despite the acclamation that the president’s action has attracted, including from the South-south Governors’ Forum and Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) sang a different tune just as it urged the National Assembly to reject the president’s declaration of emergency rule in the three states.
The party’s national leader and former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Bola Tinubu, also warned that the declaration portends danger to Nigeria’s budding democracy, as it is “a deliberate ploy to subvert constitutional democracy.”
However, in a quick riposte to the ACN criticisms, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which lauded the presidential initiative, accused the ACN of suffering from either a diseased or a confused state of mind for urging the National Assembly to reject the state of emergency.
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) also waxed discordant tunes over the declaration of emergency rule as the party Wednesday recanted its support for the proclamation.
Ahead of the formal consideration of the president’s decision, members of the National Assembly Wednesday started barring their minds on the imposition of emergency rule on the three states with the lawmakers expressing divergent views on the issue.
Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, described the proclamation of emergency rule in the three states as a good move towards ending the protracted crises in the area while lawmakers in the House of Representatives expressed divergent views on the matter.
Confirming the deployment of more troops to the beleaguered states Wednesday, Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said a large number of troops had been sent to the border territories for effective enforcement of the emergency rule as declared by the president.
Kolade explained that in furtherance of the president’s directive, the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria Police and other security agencies had commenced operations to rid the nation’s borders of terrorist bases and activities.
The defence spokesman, who refused to disclose the number of troops being deployed, added that the military operation would focus on tracking down criminal elements within the vicinity of border communities prone to terrorist activities.
He further explained that the operation, which will involve massive deployment of men and resources, is aimed at asserting the nation’s territorial integrity and enhancing the security of constituted governmental structures in all territories within Nigeria’s borders.
He said: “The operational plans have also briefed participating troops appropriately on arrests, cordon and search, especially directed at apprehending those who have been violating the sovereignty of Nigeria through terrorist training for insurgency and related activities.
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