Ndubuisi Ugah With Agency Report
3 February 2008
Lagos — Nigerian military high command yesterday placed the nation's armed forces "on high alert" in anticipation of a spill over of the crisis in neighbouring Chad. The alert is to ward off a possible backlash of the crisis that has enveloped Nigeria's north eastern neighbour.
Chief of Defence Staff, General Andrew Azazi, said in Abuja that the armed forces personnel are on high alert to forestall a spill-over of the fighting.
Azazi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the move was also to protect Nigeria's territorial integrity following the outbreak of heavy fighting in Ndjamena between Chadian soldiers and rebels forces.
Also reacting to the Chadian crisis, the Minister of Interior, retired Maj-Gen. Godwin Abbe, told NAN that the federal government was keeping abreast of developments in Ndjamena.
He said: "We are watching the situation, especially as we know that our borders are porous, and we will have to take care of the humanitarian aspect of this kind of crisis. If there is an influx of refugees it would be unnatural for us to turn back those in distress and in need of succour. But we will have to ensure that it will not affect us as a nation. The crisis is unfortunate, but we believe that African leaders will continue to work hard to find a lasting solution to the Chadian crisis," he told NAN.
In keeping with the statement of the interior minister, the Nigeria Immigration Service has taken adequate measures on the anticipated influx of refugees from neighbouring Chad.
The Comptroller-General of the service, Mr Chukwura Udeh, told NAN in a telephone interview that his men had been put on alert to monitor the situation.
"We have instructed our people in the axis to watch out for increases in the number of people crossing the border and forestall entry into Nigeria," he said.
Chad shares a common border with Borno state.
In Maiduguri, the Borno State command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, in conjunction with the police, has beefed up security along Nigeria's border with Chad.
The Comptroller of Immigration, Alhaji Mohammed Gwandu, told NAN that there is no report of influx of foreign nationals into Nigeria.
"However, the security forces have deployed personnel to fortify the border as a precautionary measure," Gwandu told NAN Correspondent.
"We have put our patrol teams on the alert and instructed them to be on the watchout," he said.
Similarly, the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Danlami Yar'Adua, told NAN that the police in the border area were on high alert.
Borno State shares an extensive border with Chad, covering Gamboru/Ngala and Marte local government areas, as wells as Baga and numerous villages and settlements along the shore of the Lake Chad.
The state also shares international boundaries with the republics of Cameroon and Niger.
Meanwhile, African Union leaders who ended their summit yesterday in Addis Ababa, strongly condemned the rebellion in Chad, and warned that if the insurgents succeeded in their action, the country would be excommunicated from the AU.
The chairman said the summit had mandated Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi and his
Congolese counterpart to intervene in the Chadian crisis and make necessary recommendations.
However, the BBC reported on its website last night that forces loyal to the government have risen to the occasion and are already forcing the rebels to retreat.
According to the BBC, French military spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said "Chadian forces were pushing the rebel forces out of the city but added that there was not a clear front line."
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