Disquiet over southeast governors’ formation of joint security structure, Ebube Agu

The establishment of a joint security structure, Ebube Agu, by the governors of the five states in the southeast on Sunday has generated disquiet from stakeholders in Igbo land. Several stakeholders in the southeast have berated the governors of the five states in the southeast for setting up a joint security structure for the region to collaborate with the federal security agencies that have proved ineffective in crime control or prevention. They were of the view that the Ebube Agu is dead on arrival for lack of autonomy unlike the Amotekun of the southwest which operates independently in the region. The southeast stakeholders argue that lack of autonomy is a major source of weakness of the Ebube Agu even operations commence. They accuse the southeast governors of conspiracy and treachery against their people for personal political benefits.

The governors of the five states in the southeast Nigeria on Sunday set up a regional security structure known as Ebube Agu. The southeast governors, in consensus, approved the regional joint security outfit to operate in collaboration with the federal police and other security agencies. The headquarters of the regional joint security structure, Ebube Agu, is cited in Enugu, Enugu State.

The establishment of Ebube Agu was revealed in a communique issued by Governors of the five South East states and heads of security agencies at the end of the first South East Security Summit held in Owerri, Imo State, on Sunday.

Chairman of the southeast governors forum, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, reading the communique, disclosed that after exhaustive discussions on the current security challenges in the South East and with valuable contributions from participants at the first South East security summit in Owerri on Sunday, the participants resolved to: strongly and unequivocally condemn terrorism and banditry in any part of Nigeria, particularly, in the South East. He added that the meeting strongly condemned the burning of police stations, violent attacks on custodial centres with the unlawful release of inmates, and killing of citizens, including security personnel, natives/farmers and headsmen.

The five South East states were declared to be on the same page with the federal government on the security crises in the country. The meeting, accordingly, made it absolutely clear that the southeast will stand resolutely with the federal government to fight terrorists and bandits to a finish.

He maintained 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.

The summit further resolved that 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.

Heads of all the security agencies in the south east also resolved to exchange intelligence in a seamless, effective new order that will help to checkmate crime in the zone.

The heads of security agencies were 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.

The summit also resolved that a committee made up of security personnel, government officials and relevant stakeholders be set up to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the south east joint security platform.

Sustaining the south east security summit and to make it a statutory summit. It will be convened every quarter while its hosting shall be rotated among the five south east states.

The summit formally established a joint security vigilante for the states of the southeast known as Ebube Agu.

The meeting appreciated the formation of South East joint security outfit, Ebube Agu, located the headquarters in Enugu to coordinate all vigilante in the south east.

South East Governors, thereafter, requested the Acting Inspector General of Police to stop the influx of IGP monitory units into the southeast but allow the Commissioners of Police, state, and Zonal commands to handle their cases.

The meeting approved that the acting IGP and other security chiefs to invite the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo and CAN to find out the reason for increasing insecurity of the South East.

The meeting agreed that military policing in the South East should be adequately funded and become effective.

The meeting agreed that open grazing has been banned and security agency should implement the ban.

The meeting encouraged a peaceful coexistence of farmers and headers to allow Governors to succeed in the fight against criminality.