2019: Why we’ve not endorsed Buhari, by Coomasie

Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and a former Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie, speaks in this interview with Baba Negedu, on the 2019 presidential election, endorsement of a candidate by the North, call for state police, among other issues

Elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, recently called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the North-East. Do you see that as the way to go in tackling the insurgency in that part of the country?

What actually does he mean; why is he calling for this at this point in time? Over the years, he did not call for a state of emergency, did the crisis in the North-East start today, why is he calling for this now? He is free to express his personal opinion.

 May be, he made call against the backdrop of government’s claim that the insurgents have been defeated, whereas they are still rampaging the zone?

And you think that is enough for a state of emergency to be declared? I think there must be grounds according to the constitution for a state of emergency to be declared. What is happening is not enough to call for that. We have been having this incursion in the North-East for how many years now? Since the time of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); former President Goodluck Jonathan was in power for six years, they did not do anything, they wanted another term in office and they were defeated. 
Now, two years after, the tension has reduced. But you know you cannot completely eradicate the situation like the one we have in the North-East at a go like that. But, I think the government of the day is doing its best to completely clean up the mess. So, calling for a state of emergency now is not the best unless if there are new incursions, which we cannot control.
Are you not worried that the insurgency continues to linger, with occasional attacks?

Yes am worried, but you know the reasons. The past government refused to do anything, even though they budgeted money to fight the insurgency, for six years they, did not do anything. They told us that they spent money over the North-East issue, but we did not see it. And this present administration investigated and found out that this money was diverted to somewhere else, but the new government did what it can and it has reduced the insurgency.

How would you place government’s insistence that Boko Haram has been defeated and the upsurge in attacks, including the recent abduction of the Dapchi schoolgirls?

Really, that is a serious development which the government should look into. We want to know what is really happening in the North-East. The question we are asking is why is Sambisa Forest still there standing in the North-East as it is today? Why has the forest not been cleared, so that the insurgents can be fished out? So, as it stands, the war has not been completely won.

As a former Inspector General of Police, if you are to advise the government on how to bring the insurgency to an end, what will be your recommendations?

I will not do that through the media, I will rather go to the president to talk to him or write to him.

But have you done anything like that in the recent past?

Why should I, am I bound to do that?

Are you not worried about the situation and the need to act?


I am worried and I have said it many times before now. Even when we were at the constitutional conference and during the elections; I said it many times and I cannot keep on repeating myself.