By Valentine Nnamani (Bureau Chief South East) and Gloria Acholonu (Imo State Correspondent)
After several months of intense deliberations on the appropriate modalities and form a new regional security outfit for the South East Zone would take, governors in the five states of Igboland met in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Sunday, April 11, 2021, to unveil Ebube Agu (the glory of a Lion), a security body that would tackle the security challenges in the zone
The new security organization is also expected to tackle the increasing spate of kidnapping, armed robberies, youth restiveness, and sundry criminal activities currently creating insecurity in the entire southeast geo-political zone.
For several hours on Sunday, the governors engaged in a marathon conclave to put finishing touches to the details of the new security body before making it public via a meeting resolution read out by its chairman, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State.
In a communique released shortly after the meeting, the South East Governor's Forum led by the Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Nweze Umahi explained that the brand new regional security agency would oversight the various community vigilance groups across the South East Zone.
Umahi, who was flanked by his colleagues' governors from the other four southeast states of Enugu, Anambra, Imo, and Abia, disclosed that the new security outfit will operate with a headquarter in the regional capital of the old Eastern Nigeria, in Enugu.
He also said that the new agency, Ebube Agu, is expected to meet the security needs and expectations of the zone in line with rules governing its operational activities.
The communique from the southeast Governors reads thus:
,"COMMUNIQUE ISSUED BY SOUTHEAST GOVERNORS AND HEADS OF SECURITY AGENCIES AT THE END OF THE FIRST SOUTH EAST SECURITY SUMMIT HELD IN OWERRI ON SUNDAY APRIL 11th 2021
"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 this day Sunday April 11th 2021, it was resolved as follows:
"1. 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 centers with the unlawful release of inmates, and the killings including security personnel, natives/ farmers and headsmen.
"2. 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
"3. 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 terrorists from the zone.
"4. That the summit resolved that to achieve this, there is a need to galvanize 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.
"5. 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.
"6. That 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.
"7. 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.
"8. To applaud the initiative of the South east security summit and to make it a statutory summit that will convene every quarter while its hosting shall rotate among the five south east states.
"9. The meeting resolved to maintain a joint security vigilante for the South East otherwise known as Ebube Agu.
"10. The meeting appreciated the formation of South East joint security outfit co. Named Ebubeagu. Headquarters in Enugu to coordinate our vigilante in the South East.
"11. South East Governors requested the Acting IGP to stop the influx of IGP monitory units but to allow cps and state and Zonal commands to handle their cases.
"12. Meeting approve that the acting IGP and other security chiefs do invite the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo and CAN to find out the reason for increasing insecurity of the South East .
"13. Meeting agreed that military policing in the South East should be adequately funded and become effective.
"14. Meeting agreed that open grazing has been banned and security agency should implement the ban.
"15. The meeting encouraged a peaceful coexistence of farmers and headers to allow Governors to succeed in the fight against criminality" . NNL.
