Criminals are now hiding under IPOB/ESN

South-East Governors have raised an alarm of killings in the region being carried out by criminals hiding under the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the para-military arm of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Dave Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi state and chairman of the south-east governors forum, said this in a statement released after a virtual meeting with Governors from the region on Wednesday December 1.

The Governors who promised to investigate the beheading of two policemen in the region, urged youths to leverage on the various empowerment and agricultural programmes to better their lives.

The statement read;

“We warn all criminals who have styled themselves as IPOB/ESN to kill our people to immediately stop.

“We are aware that the insecurity and killings in South East have gone beyond IPOB/ESN as any criminal finds it easy to hide under such a name to commit crimes. We are determined to do everything to protect the lives and properties of our people.

“Our youths are advised to leverage on the various empowerment and agricultural programmes by our Governors to better their lives.

“We condemn in strong terms the video clip and write-up we saw in some social and print media where two policemen were said to have been killed and their heads cut-off by youths who styled themselves as members of IPOB/ESN,” they said.

“We have resolved among ourselves to work with security agencies to determine the authenticity of this video/report and if found to be true, to apprehend the perpetrators by all possible means to face the law.

“We are aware of similar videos in the past and which when subjected to forensic review were found out to have happened outside Nigeria.

“We assure Nigerians, especially the Police community, that we will not rest until we have done justice to this matter.”