By Oketa prosper, Abakaliki
South East Governors Forum led by Engr David Umahi, today announced the introduction of Ebubeagu Joint Security Network as a measure to tackle the security challenge in the region.
According to release made available by the Special Assistant to Ebonyi State governor on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, said the decision which was taken at Owerri,Imo state capital was part of the measures to bring peace in the region.
The release reads:”After exhaustive discussions on the
challenges in the South East and with valuable contributions
from participants at the first southeast security summit in Owerri on this day Sunday, April 11, 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 southeast 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 clear that the southeast will stand resolutely with the federal government to fight terrorists and bandits to a finish.
- That the political leadership in the Southeast 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.
- That the summit resolved that to achieve this, there is a need to galvanize all the relevant stakeholders in the southeast,
the political class, the business community, the bureaucrats and the intelligentsia to provide all necessary support to security operatives in the five southeast states to ensure total success in the fight against criminality in the zone. - That the heads of all the security agencies in the southeast have resolved to exchange intelligence in a seamless, effective new order that will help to checkmate crime in the zone.
- That to fast-track crime-busting in the southeast, 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 southeast.
- That a committee made up of security personnel, government officials and relevant stakeholders are to be set up to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the southeast joint security platform.
- To applaud the initiative of the Southeast security summit and to make it a statutory summit that will
convene every quarter while its hosting shall rotate among
the five southeast states. - The meeting resolved to maintain a joint security vigilante for the South East otherwise known as Ebubeagu Joint Security Network.
- The meeting appreciated the formation of South East joint security outfit named Ebubeagu Headquarters in Enugu to coordinate our vigilante in the South East.
- 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. - Meeting approves 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. - Meeting agreed that military policing in the South East
should be adequately funded and become effective. - Meeting agreed that open grazing has been banned and
security agencies should implement the ban. - The meeting encouraged a peaceful coexistence of
farmers and headers to allow Governors to succeed in
the fight against criminality.