Olusola Bello
Worried by the level of insecurity in the South Eastern of the coutry, the South-East Governors have established a joint security network called “Ebube Agu” with headquarters in Enugu State.
This security outfit will coordinate prompt response to checkmate the rising unrest across the entire zone
This new development was the outcome of the South-East security summit held on Sunday in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
According to the communiqué read out by the governors,it stated: “After exhaustive discussions with heads of security agencies on the current challenges in the South East, the Governors at the end of the summit resolved to; Strongly and unequivocally condemn terrorism and banditry in any part of Nigeria, particularly in the South East. The meeting strongly condemns the burning of police stations, violent attacks on custodial centres with the unlawful release of inmates, and the killings including security personnel, natives/ farmers and headsmen”.
It stated that the five South East states are on the same page with the federal government on the issue of security challenges in the country. To this end, the meeting makes it absolutely clear that the South East will stand resolutely with the federal government to fight terrorists and bandits to a finish
“That the political leadership in the South East has resolved to bring together all the arsenals at their command, as one united zone, to fight and flush out criminals and terrorist from the zone.
According to the governors, the summit resolved that to achieve this, there is a need to galvanise all the relevant stakeholders in the south-east, the political class, the business community, the bureaucrats and the intelligentsia to provide all necessary support to security operatives in the five south-east states to ensure total success in the fight against criminality in the zone.
The governors also disclosed that the heads of all the security agencies in the south-east have resolved to exchange intelligence in a seamless, effective new order that will help to checkmate crime in the zone.
To fast track crime-busting in the south-east, the heads of security agencies have been mandated to draw up a comprehensive list of their logistics and material needs for sustainable success in the fight against criminality, for the immediate provision by the leadership of the South East.
A committee made up of security personnel, government officials and relevant stakeholders is to be set up to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the south-east joint security platform.
It was agreed that the South East security summit has become a statutory summit that will convene every quarter while its hosting shall rotate among the five south east states.”
The Governors requested the Acting IGP to stop the influx of monitory units but to allow CPS and state and Zonal commands to handle their cases.
It also agreed at the meeting that military policing in the South-East should be adequately funded and become effective, ban open grazing as the security agency is directed to implement the ban.
The communiqué also encouraged a peaceful coexistence of farmers and headers to allow Governors to succeed in the fight against criminality.
