Tunji Adedeji
The current formation of Ebubeagu, launched by southeast state governors in Imo on Sunday, from all indications may have been established to effectively replace IPOB’S Eastern Security Network, ESN, if details Trumpeta gathered is anything to be considered.
ESN, a security outfit of IPOB is purportedly set-up to protect lives and property in Igboland even as there are reservations about its operations.
Recall that governors in the South East Zone recently convened a security meeting where the Southeast. Security Network otherwise known as Ebubeagu was formed to help tackle the growing security challenges bedeviling the region.
The initiators, in a communique issued by south east governors and heads of security agencies at the end of the first South east security summit resolved to maintain a joint security vigilante for the South East otherwise known as Ebubeagu.
The governors in the release made available to Trumpeta yesterday, strongly condemn terrorism and banditry in any part of Nigeria, particularly in the South East.
They Southeast governors also 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.
It reads in part 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 to achieve this, 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.
According to the released communique ,”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.
” 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.
“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.
”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.
”The meeting resolved to maintain a joint security vigilante for the South East otherwise known as Ebubeagu.
”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.
“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.
“Meeting agreed that military policing in the South East should be adequately funded and become effective.
This newspaper learnt that the Ebubeagu was formed to take over from IPOBs ESN.
According to information available to the newspaper, the governors were said to have been troubled by the existence of the ESN which competent sources revealed posed security threat.
Trumpeta was also told that should the state governors keep mute and take no counter production to check the excesses of the ESN, their security is at risk. In order not to allow the IPOB security outfit control affairs of lives and property of Ndigbo, the Governors had to strike and float a counter outfit named Ebubeagu.
