Governors Of The Five South-east States Met In Enugu

The governors, who constitute the regional South-East Governors’ Forum, are Alex Otti (Abia), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Dr Peter Mbah (Enugu) and Senator Hope Uzodimma (Imo).

In meeting on Thursday, August 10 marks the first to be held among the five governors since the inauguration of new governors into office on May 29, 2023.

One of the things featured prominently on the agenda was the Monday sit-at-home enforced in the region by the Indigenous People of Biafra and the demand for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, IPOB, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services since June 2021.

However,  Southeast Governors’ Forum said yesterday that the arrest of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu was not responsible for the worsening insecurity in the zone.

The forum blamed the development on criminal elements, who according to it,  parade themselves as  Biafra agitators.

Governor Hope Uzodimma stated this while addressing journalists after the forum’s meeting in Enugu, Enugu State.

In a three-point communiqué read to reporters by Uzodimma,  the Southeast governors said they resolved to fight insecurity individually and collectively in partnership with the Federal Government.

They called on security agents to deal decisively with any criminal caught parading himself as an agitator.

”We wish to state categorically that the perpetrators of the insecurity in our region and their sponsors are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators. Therefore, upon arrest, they should be dealt with following the laws of the land,” the governor said.

They also resolved at the meeting attended by  Chief of Naval Staff Emmanuel Ogalla, to convene a security and economic summit on a date to be announced soon.

He said: “The challenges we face are not mere statistics or headlines; they are real-life manifestations that affect the lives of our people, disrupt the functioning of our institutions, and impede the growth of our zone.”

“Instances of criminal activities, banditry, kidnapping, assassinations, communal clashes, and threats to life have shaken the very foundation of our societies.”

“The opportunity for interstate collaboration presents itself and must be explored to foster regional collaboration. The challenges faced by one state ripple across its neighbours, and therefore, our strategies for resolution must be collaborative and inclusive.

“The complex interplay of interest and nonstate actors within this region is compounded by the presence of armed entities such as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) alongside Private Security Organisation like the Royal Switch Services (RSS) and others within the gap.”

Chief of Army Staff  Taoreed  Lagbaja assured that the Army security agencies were determined to end criminal activities in the Southeast and other parts of the country.