we support state of emergency -ECOWAS parliament

The parliament’s moral backing for the state of  emergency declared by Nigeria’s president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was given by ECOWAS parliament, speaker, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. Ekweremadu, who is also deputy president of Nigeria’s senate spoke at the closing of the 2013 First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja yesterday.
“We support the Nigerian Government in taking every necessary and legitimate measure to contain terrorism in the country,” Ekweremadu declared. “We believe that Nigeria is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in the sub-region and she must as a matter of fact wage successful war against terrorism in her territory to be able to assist fight terrorism and insurgency in other parts of West Africa.”
Terrorism and insurgency
Ekweremadu also called for greater security cooperation between ECOWAS and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, CEMAC, to contain all forms of insurgency and terrorism in their member States. “Because these are transnational crimes, a Summit of Heads of State and Government of both sub-regional Communities has become imperative to appraise the security situations and build better synergy in combating our common enemies”, he said.
He expressed fear that unless collaborative measures are taken by both sub-regions to secure their common borders, terrorists and insurgents could elude security agencies by slipping into neighbouring countries when the heat is turned on them, but only to return to their dastardly acts when it is conducive again.
“Therefore, the two blocks must work together and simultaneously, to smoke the insurgents out and make sure they have no safe harbours in the whole of both West and Central Africa”, Ekweremadu emphasised. He warned that the parliament remained opposed to “every form of forceful takeover of government, impunity, militancy, terrorism, and insurgency in the sub-region.”
Addressing the Parliament in plenary, the Miss ECOWAS Peace Ambassador, Zirra Banu expressed the support of the youth and women of the sub-region for the every necessary efforts to arrest the tide of insurgence and terrorism in the sub-region.