STATE OF THE NATION: S-East govs, Ohanaeze align with S-West

South-East Governors and leaders of thought, including Ohanaeze, traditional rulers, and clergymen, yesterday, practically aligned with the South-West zone on the issues of state police, regional security outfit, and ban on open grazing.

This was the kernel of their meeting in Enugu, after deliberations on worsening security situation in the region.

This came as no fewer than eight security operatives were on Saturday night killed by unidentified gunmen in Rivers State.

The meeting endorsed the establishment of Ebube Agu security outfit to work with the Police and other security agencies in their operations to protect lives and properties in South-East zone.

The meeting disclosed that the structure and operational modalities of Ebube Agu have been set up, though they were not made public.

The meeting also said that an Advisory Board for the security outfit has been set up and that Attorneys-General and Commissioners for Justice of the South-East states have been directed to work with the Joint Security Committee to come up with the amendment of existing state laws to reflect the new Ebube Agu outfit.

It directed Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General “to immediately form two committees of South-East Peace and Reconciliation Committee to “engage our people for the purpose of security of our people and her visitors,” and “security and welfare committee to engage and protect our people, especially those who have been unfairly treated.”

It also said that “these Committees must become functional within the next 10 days from the day of establishment.”

The leaders also restated its support for restructuring and State Police.

Attack on Uzodimma’s home condemned

It condemned the attacks on the country home of the Governor of Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and other state infrastructure, saying “we sympathize with him and call on the Federal Government to fish out the perpetrators and ensure their prosecution.”

The meeting restated the commitment of South-East leaders to ban open grazing in the zone, and urged security agencies and the local vigilantes to enforce the ban in all states of the South-East.

The gathering noted that South-East Governors have agreed on implementation of various ENDSARS Youth Empowerment Programmes in South-East states as soon as possible. However, details of the programme were not made public.

Present at the meeting were Chairman, South-East Governors Forum and Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi; Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; host Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State; and Deputy Governor of Imo State, Placid Njoku.

Others included Ohanaeze Ndigbo President, Professor George Obiozor; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe; Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Anglican Communion, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma; Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; and South-East CAN President, Bishop Goddy Okafor.

Insecurity: IPOB has placed a death sentence on South-East governors, says Ikpeazu

By Sanni Onogu/Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has allegedly placed some Southeast governors under the death sentence for yet to be undisclosed reasons.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, who made the allegation yesterday in Abuja, said he is one of those under the IPOB fatwa.

He spoke on a day his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodinma, accused opposition elements of sponsoring the recurring violence across the country for the purpose of discrediting the Buhari administration.

Ikpeazu, speaking during an interactive session with youths and women under the auspices of the “TOS Foundation Youth and Women for Good Governance” initiative, organised by The Osasu Show (TOS) Television Network, in Abuja, on Thursday night, did not say why IPOB wants him and other Southeast governors dead, but said he does not subscribe to the style or strategy of the leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu.

The governor said although some of the issues being raised by Kanu are valid, his strategy leaves much to be desired.

“People are beginning to think now that some of the issues raised by Nnamdi (Kanu), if they are issues of injustice, marginalisation and inequality, any part of society have a right to begin to feel cheated or unwanted,” he said.

“So, some of those things which Nnamdi said are valid. Some of us can see them. We cannot continue to hide behind a finger.

“But some of us do not subscribe to his style or strategy. Because I do not understand where he is going and how he is going and when he plans to pull the brakes and what he wants to achieve.

“If I have a way of conveying my views to the leadership of that group, what I will say is they should find a way to enter into conversation and let people know.

“I am under their fatwa now and some of my brother governors. They say if you see them kill them.’

He accused IPOB of “fighting in the kitchen.”

He added: “by the time the war in the kitchen ends, mama’s pot of soup would have spilled, there will be no plates to eat and everybody would be hungry and eventually it would not serve any good purpose. I don’t understand their strategy.

“I don’t understand what they want to achieve and I don’t understand why they prefer to attack institutions of civil rule.

“A lot of people who are apologetic to their strategy do not even know that they are riding the tiger because if the police and the military withdraw and brigands become the enforcers of law and order, if you have a little quarrel with your brother, how do you resolve it?”

On how to tackle the security challenges in the country, he said: “I would like us to address the insecurity issue in Nigeria holistically. I don’t want to look at the insecurity in the Southeast as opposed to the one in the North-west or North-east.

“The problem of insecurity in this country is as a result of the fact that the security admix of our country, which we inherited from the late sixties or early seventies, focuses more on spending on boots on ground, arms and ammunition.

“That may be good, classically speaking, but if you are fighting an asymmetric war, which is a war that is faceless, what you do is to change the arrangement and the ratio should be 65 per cent intelligence gathering, research and development and only 35 per cent for boots on ground because if you have not given intelligence to the boots on ground who are they going to battle?”
Uzodinma: Violence aimed at distracting attention

Governor Hope Uzodinma whose state, Imo, has come under attacks from gunmen and arsonists lately, claimed yesterday that the current spate of violence across the country is being sponsored by the opposition for the purpose of discrediting the government.

He asked the security and intelligence agencies to expose the brains behind the gale of banditry by publishing their names.

Emerging from a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Uzodinma told correspondents that the sponsors of the violence were engaging in a diabolic version of politicking, which he described as anti-people.

He said about 50 suspects have been arrested in connection with the recent attacks on police and correctional facilities in his state, and alleged that those attacks were carried out by a mix of persons from within the state, other Southeast states and non-Igbo.

He urged Nigerians not to allow opposition elements to destroy the unity and diversity of the country, which he described as a blessing from God and the strength of the nation’s unity.

“I don’t think I will support any call for secession, I want a united, strong Nigeria. Our strength is in our diversity and today, we are supposed to play a leading role in this continent,” he said.

Continuing, he said: “We don’t want to whittle down our strength. Rather, what I advise is that we must appreciate the gift of nature in our land and support the government. Listen, let me tell you something, this country is blessed by God.

“From 2015 till today, I thought what the problem would be is people saying there’s no job creation, people are not feeding, salaries are not paid, infrastructure is going down, social interventions are not approved by the government. These things are there, available, a pass mark for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Now, people are no longer talking about that; rather what they are doing is to sponsor crisis, to the extent that those funding this banditry are politicians, which I challenge and call on security agencies to make their names available to the press because what they want to do is to distract a government that is focused.

“If this government is not doing well, I’ll be one of those that will declare the government as not doing well, but a situation where you’ll leave the formal way, ethical way of doing politics, and you are now sponsoring banditry to bring down a government… for Christ’s sake, we should rise up and condemn it, all of us.”

On the attacks on police stations and the correctional facilities in the state, the governor said they were carried out by people from within and from outside the state.

He said: “some of those arrested by security agencies, some of them are not from Imo State or the Southeast. It was a combination of those within the state and those from outside the state. At the last count, we arrested almost 40 to 50 people, who also made useful statements and confessed to the crime.

“I continue to tell you that this issue of banditry is something that we must all rise up as people to condemn and then support security agencies to be able to provide an enabling environment for people to go about their businesses, without fear of any molestation.

“The job of security of a country cannot be left to security agencies alone. The job requires the citizenry to support security agencies through intelligence gathering, also government at all levels, including traditional leaderships, to support government because the bandits stay among us, the criminals live among us and if we’re not in a position to report them, or report their activities to security agencies, then we are undoing ourselves.

“So I encourage everybody to see this as a collective challenge that all of us must join hands; whether you are from the local government, community level, to state, up to the federal government; we must join hands because we don’t have another country. The only country we can beat our chests and call our own is Nigeria and we must work towards ensuring that the integrity of our country, the security situation in our country, is such that allows people, residents and citizens to go about their businesses without the fear of molestation

“Any problem anywhere, in any part of the country is also a problem everywhere in the country. Today, it may be Imo State; you don’t know when it will be your own state. So, if we don’t come now and nip this thing in the bud, it means that one day we may not have a country. So, let us defend our country; it is very important.”

The governor, who said he visited the President on the issue of security in Imo State lauded Buhari for showing genuine concerns for the people of his state.

Day two Southeast governors shouted at each other

So much has been said about the alleged delay of Southeast governors to set up a regional security outfit to contain rising insecurity in the zone.

Critics say they created the vacuum that enabled the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to establish its security outfit called the Eastern Security Network (ESN), thus creating unnecessary tension and loss of lives.

They also claim governors were unable to do what their counterparts in the Southwest have done because of personal or political interests.

What such critics don’t know is that the delay may have been because of personal disagreements more than suspected external pressure on them. We learnt, for instance, that at one recent meeting in Enugu, two governors sharply disagreed over the type of security outfit that would be good for the zone.

Sources say one of them was so upset with the idea the other advanced that he confronted him personally as the two made to leave the venue of the meeting.

The other governor, also angry at his colleague’s expressed views, did not hide his feelings.

As our source puts it, “it was a bitter encounter. Their Excellences exchanged very hot words before they left. I cannot tell you what they said to each other, but it amounted to shouting at one another. It was all about their different views on the type of regional security outfit that would serve our area better. While one wanted something novel, the other said what he had in his state was working and should be adopted by all in the region.”

But now that General Obi Umahi (retd), leader of the Southeast Security Committee, has said all is set to flag-off the much-awaited regional security outfit, it remains to be seen if the governors have fully resolved their differences.

South-East Governors ban open grazing, says anyone hiding in forests to be treated as a criminal

The Governor of the Ebonyi State and Chairman Southeast Governors’ Forum, Engineer David Umahi says the zone had banned open grazing of cattle in the zone.

Governor announced this during an APC stakeholder meeting at the Christian Ecumenical Centre Abakaliki.

Governor Umahi who said the Southeast Governors’ Forum had also banned the movement of cows by foot into the zone enjoined leaders to exhibit patriotism in their conduct to guarantee the unity of the country.

“We are living in a dangerous time, without patriotism to our nation Nigeria, it is very difficult to have a peaceful time”

He called on leaders and stakeholders of the zone to speak up and desist from playing politics with the Security of the zone and nation.

“Governors of South East have been calling on our leaders to speak out on the security of the zone and unity of Nigeria, I read on paper where someone said he was giving Governors of South East 7-days to ban open grazing, the governors of South-East had banned open grazing and movement of cows by foot into South East, in each of states of the South East, we are managing ourselves well, what we discuss with the herdsmen is the system in place for a long time”

The Chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum cautioned people of the zone against instigating crises in the country through the dissemination of fake videos alleging killing of Fulanis by IPOB in the South East.

“What our people must know is that security is not political, what is demanded of the leaders is to put up programs that favors the people and foster national unity”.

Gov. Umahi announced his support for the call to flush out criminal elements from forests across the nation to boost the security of the country.

“In our forests today, we have the kidnappers, herdsmen, cultists, all sorts of criminals, anybody staying in the forest is taking a risk, when we say that people should move out of the forests, it is for their safety and security, so I support that kidnappers, herdsmen, cultists, and bandits should be flushed out of our forests”

The Governor used the occasion to officially flag off the APC Revalidation and Registration Committee and charged the Caretaker Committees to ensure the successful conduct of the exercise.

He thanked stakeholders of the party for attending the meeting and observing the COVID19 protocol, insisting that the State remains APC.

“Let me thank our leaders for their commitment to the welfare of our party; Ebonyi State is complete and Ebonyi State is APC”.

Earlier, the Acting Chairman of APC in the State, Chief Stanley Emegha said the meeting was convened to find a way of upgrading the membership of the party in the State and called on the stakeholders to support the exercise to fully reintegrate the State to the next level.

“We have made it clear that Ebonyi is APC and the National will be expecting us to prove it, proving it is by us coming out and participating in the exercise massively, make whatever sacrifice to the betterment of the State because we must use the exercise to prove a point that Ebonyi State is APC and APC is Ebonyi State”.

Legalize ban on cattle rearers, Igbo farmers charge South East governors

The Igbo Famers Progressive Union (IPFU) has tasked the South East governors to make laws banning Fulani herdsmen from grazing across Igbo communities, if they expect to be taken seriously by the citizens.

The charge was contained in a Press Release signed by its Protem Chairman and Secretary,

Chief Maxi Okwu and Comrade Uchenna Nnadi respectively.

The statement, issued Sunday September 1, 2019, and made available to Jungle Journalist News Corporation expressed joy at the sudden resolve of the governors to awaken “to the deadly menace constituted by herdsmen terror on our people; destruction and devastation on our lands and farms”, and express that they were “concerned that the communique seems to hinge on pious hope and not backed by legal deterrents. So long as there is no positive action by way of legislation through our five State Houses of Assembly, all the measures will end up as another paper tiger”.

Parts of the Release read as follows “We recall that on 28th July 2019, another communique was issued which as we communicate has not curbed the problem. Only Enugu state announced a Forest Guards initiative, which we argued was a mere surplus-age as this corps (unit) already exists in the forestry commission of the Ministry of Environmental Affairs of the State.

“What happened? The Herdsmen terror in Enugu state rather than abate increased.

“What was lacking was legislation, like an Anti-Open Grazing Law, expanding the mandate of the Forest Guards and giving them legal teeth to tackle the Herdsmen not trees. We have already prepared a draft bill which we believe is comprehensive and would be forwarding as our little contribution to a resolution of this menace.

The farmers therefore argued that the resolution of the governors be given a bite through legislation “We recommend a timeline for all states to enact necessary legislation to enforce the resolution, otherwise it will end up as the earlier communique of 28th July, 2019.

“We further recommend that the interstate security committee must also be backed by a

Memorandum of Understanding (or MOU) that would articulate a security template for Ala Igbo.

“We are aware however, that the Federal Government has total operational control of the security apparatus of Nigeria. Our Governors must (in tandem with the Igbo National Assembly caucus) lobby the President to extract a firm commitment that the security agencies deployed to Ala Igbo must be reflective, sensitive and friendly to the security needs of the area. As it stands we were in no way encouraged when we read the ethnic slant of the top security personnel invited to a meeting in Ala Igbo and there was no top officer from our area”.

South East governors ban cattle movement across communities

South East governors have banned movement of herdsmen and cattle from one community to another within the zone.

They also said the Federal Government has assured them that Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu completed by December this year.

The Governors said this in Enugu, after a meeting of South East stakeholders on Saturday.

Engineer Dave Umahi, who is the chairman of their forum announced their decision thus “We also agreed that we have to put measures in place to restrain movement of herdsmen and their cattle from one state to another which is a source and point of conflict with the natives and farmers. And also restrain the movement of cattle and herdsmen from community to communities across farmlands.”