Tag: South East

  • Nnamdi Kanu Orders For An Of End Sit-At-Home In S/East

    The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, has directed Finland-based Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa to end all sit-at-home in the Southeast.

    Kanu also directed Ekpa to stop antagonising governors of the southeast or politicians from the region.

    He warned that anyone enforcing sit-at-home in the southeast is not his disciple and should be made to face the wrath of the law.

    The IPOB leader issued the directive in a message to Ekpa, which was made public on Friday by his Special Counsel, Aloy Ejimakor.

    Addressing journalists in Enugu, Ejimakor quoted Kanu as saying: “Simon, this is a direct order from me. I hereby instruct you to desist from calling for any sit-at-home henceforth. Equally, refrain from antagonising governors or persons in political positions because you are not in a position to know what they are doing on my behalf.

    “I am ordering you to make a public announcement to the effect that you are in receipt of a direct order from me to cancel any pending sit-at-home in place at the moment.

    “I embarked on this movement to liberate our people, not to enslave them. I despise and will despise any person or entity that wishes to inflict unnecessary hardship on our people. I have authorised Aloy to issue a press statement if you fail to make this announcement on your platform.

    “Anybody still engaging in sit-at-home is not my disciple. Haters of Biafra and mindless murderers in uniform are hiding under the cover of combating enforcers of Sit-at-Home to unleash mayhem against the same people we swore to defend.

    “I have sent countless messages to those purportedly enforcing sit-at-home that they are not doing so in my name. I am not begging anybody to release me, just that Nigeria should have the decency to obey their own laws.”

  • Kanu’s Release Is Central To Peace In South East – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

    Kanu’s Release Is Central To Peace In South East – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

    Pan-Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has called on the Federal Government to free the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, saying that his release would be central to the peace in the South East region.

    The IPOB leader was arrested in Kenya and renditioned to Nigeria by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari for treason.

    President of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, made the appeal at the inauguration of the women and youth wing of the group in Abuja on Monday, June 26.

    The Sun reports that he said that not even the appointment of 100 service chiefs from the region by President Bola Tinubu would bring peace and security to the South East, like obeying the court judgment freeing Kanu from DSS detention in Abuja.

    “If you ask me, my advice to Mr President is that what the South East needs is security. Even if you appoint 100 service chiefs without the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, you will not have peace.

    His release is central and fundamental to peace mechanism in Igbo land. Without releasing Nnamdi Kanu there is not much the service chiefs can do. Because of leadership vacuum created over time people believe much in Nnamdi Kanu. We are pleading with the Federal Government to obey court judgment. 18-man panel unanimously of the Court of Appeal unanimously discharged and acquitted Mr Nnamdi Kanu. So, we are asking that this very government should obey the order. The moment Nnamdi Kanu is released there will be peace in Igbo land. And the Igbo will have that sense of belonging because Nnamdi Kanu is a freedom fighter. He hasn’t committed any criminal offence,” Iwuanyanwu, represented by the Secretary of Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, Prof. Charles Nwekeadu, said

  • Ignoring South-East in 10th NASS leadership is risky for APC – Benjamin Kalu

    Ignoring South-East in 10th NASS leadership is risky for APC – Benjamin Kalu

    Benjamin Kalu, the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the post of the Deputy Speaker in the yet-to-be-inaugurated 10th National Assembly has stated that the South-East geopolitical zone must not be pushed aside in the 10th NASS leadership.

    The lawmaker representing Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State who sat for an interview on Channels Television on Sunday night, May 14, said APC might lose out in securing votes from the region in 2027 if they are neglected.

    Kalu said;

    “When you talk about nation building you forget about sentiments, you forget about emotions and look at the strongest argument and the strongest argument here is how do we make a diversity sensitive leadership, nation-building effort that will incorporate all the beautiful efforts of all the diverse part of the country coming together to work for what we peach? It’s by unity, peace and progress.

    “You may recall that in the last four years, the South-East was not holding any of the presiding officers’ position and it has impacted on this election, among other things. I can assure you, if you neglect South-East again, a whole zone in such sensitive position, then you battle again in 2027, that is a big risk for any great planner to take.

    “If you start now to plan and adopt this spirit of inclusion, South-East is going to yield a better harvest than what was yielded before.”

  • South East Regional Integration and agenda setting for incoming state governors

    South East Regional Integration and agenda setting for incoming state governors

    By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu

    On May 29, powers will change hands in almost all the South East states as brand new governors will take over leadership. One laudable project the outgoing governors failed to fine tune and set it rolling is the regional integration project. Whatever reason that led to the ability or failure of the governors to achieve this laudable project should not bother this. But it is largely blamed on party differences.
    Precisely in 2017, the governors came up with this initiative to forge a very strong and reliable regional integration. Unfortunately, since then,nothing serious has come out of the initiative, rather insecurity is staring the faces of some of the states menacingly and if nothing is done as a matter of urgency, the states may slip more dangerously into situations with some of the Northern states, especially the North East and North West.

    The urge for regions across the country to come together and forge economic integration was increasing at geometric progression, and this provoked the interests of South-East governors to join the moving train.

    Regional integration, which is simply the joining of individual states within a region into a larger whole, is now the vogue. This arrangement tends to achieve the following functions: to strengthen trade in the region; to create an appropriate enabling environment for private sector development; to develop infrastructure programmes in support of economic growth and regional integration; to develop strong public sector institutions and good governance.

    Others are to reduce social exclusion and the development of an inclusive civil society; to contribute to peace and security in the region; to build environmental programmes at the regional level, and strengthen the region’s interaction with other regions.

    The urge for a stronger regional integration by the South-East governors was basically informed by the prevailing economic realities in the country. In the South West region, the governors of the region in a continued search for Regional Integration of the zone under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), resolved to work together to address security challenges confronting the region and foster economic growth and well-being of the people.

    In a meeting well attended by governors of the region and their representatives then, critical attention was accorded to issues such as kidnapping and the menace of the herdsmen.

    In the South East, efforts, in the period under review, were in top gear to foster economic integration. In a bid to advance the economic well-being of the region, the five South-East governors met and resolved to bury their differences and work for the economic integration of the region.

    In the words of Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, the initiative was in the interest of the people. The meeting was a landmark because it discussed critical issues affecting the region such as security.

    On the issue of security, the governors agreed to collaborate by comparing notes to talk with the Commissioners of Police and other security agencies located in the region on security integration.

    Security, no doubt, is an important component of the integration and must be pursued vigorously. It is indisputable that kidnapping had taken a serious toll on almost all the five South-East states then and deserved a serious collaborative effort.

    When kidnappers are dislodged from one South-East state, there is every tendency that they would seek a safe haven in a nearby South-East state and resume their unwholesome trade there.

    But today, kidnapping has become a lesser evil than what has befallen some of the South-East states.

    Criminal elements wielding dangerous arms and weapons are on the prowl trying seriously to sack communities. They are killing indiscriminately and at will; razing people’s homes at the slightest or no provocation at all.

    The 2023 general election in the zone was highly threatened. The Continuous Voter Registration exercise was also highly threatened as gunmen invaded centres, ransack, maim and kill at will. Police formations, military checkpoints and public gatherings we’re at high risk and prone to gunmen attacks.

    There were enough early warning signals and one could attribute the present security situation to the inability of our security agencies to sample their competence in intelligence.

    When criminal elements were amassing large volumes of arms and ammunition illegally by sacking police formations and ambushing checkpoints, we did not need a soothsayer to inform us that the doomsday is imminent. We did not need a prophet to tell us that we were sitting on a keg of gun powder waiting for time to detonate.

    Really, we are sitting on a keg of gun powder and the detonation may be more imminent than we expect and some of the South-East states today do not know that these criminal elements lack the ability to expand their operations tomorrow.

    On this note, let the incoming South-East governors revisit the earlier regional integration, fashion out measures to collaborate and tackle this menace called insecurity headlong. Now is the time to collapse every political leaning and interest and chase away the proverbial wolf later to come back home and blame the straying hen. This will afford them the opportunity to cross-fertilise ideas and borrow notes from their counterparts from other states.

    On the other hand, South-East states can engage in joint projects that require huge capital outlay by pooling financial resources together. To buttress this claim, in past, the 19 governors of the northern states of Nigeria gave approval to Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), owned by the 19 northern states to establish a strong and viable bank.

    While NNDC was also vigorously pursuing the search for oil and gas in the Lake Chad Basin and the Niger-Benue trough, plans are underway by the northern states to establish an Agricultural Commodity Board, to guarantee market, quality and more farm produce in states in the region as well as the establishment of a multi-faceted Agricultural Industrial Park that would assist in fast-tracking economic productivity.

    NNDC was a strong instrumentality to establish a strong foundation for Northern Nigeria to be self-sufficient in food production, financial services and other sectors. Nothing makes it unbecoming for the incoming South-East administrations to think along this line.

    On Mon, Apr 10, 2023, 09:21 okechukwu ukegbu wrote:
    South East Regional Integration and agenda setting for incoming state governors

    By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu

    On May 29, powers will change hands in almost all the South East states as brand new governors will take over leadership. One laudable project the outgoing governors failed to fine tune and set it rolling is the regional integration project. Whatever reason that led to the ability or failure of the governors to achieve this laudable project should not bother this. But it is largely blamed on party differences.
    Precisely in 2017, the governors came up with this initiative to forge a very strong and reliable regional integration. Unfortunately, since then,nothing serious has come out of the initiative, rather insecurity is staring the faces of some of the states menacingly and if nothing is done as a matter of urgency, the states may slip more dangerously into situations with some of the Northern states, especially the North East and North West.

    The urge for regions across the country to come together and forge economic integration was increasing at geometric progression, and this provoked the interests of South-East governors to join the moving train.

    Regional integration, which is simply the joining of individual states within a region into a larger whole, is now the vogue. This arrangement tends to achieve the following functions: to strengthen trade in the region; to create an appropriate enabling environment for private sector development; to develop infrastructure programmes in support of economic growth and regional integration; to develop strong public sector institutions and good governance.

    Others are to reduce social exclusion and the development of an inclusive civil society; to contribute to peace and security in the region; to build environmental programmes at the regional level, and strengthen the region’s interaction with other regions.

    The urge for a stronger regional integration by the South-East governors was basically informed by the prevailing economic realities in the country. In the South West region, the governors of the region in a continued search for Regional Integration of the zone under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), resolved to work together to address security challenges confronting the region and foster economic growth and well-being of the people.

    In a meeting well attended by governors of the region and their representatives then, critical attention was accorded to issues such as kidnapping and the menace of the herdsmen.

    In the South East, efforts, in the period under review, were in top gear to foster economic integration. In a bid to advance the economic well-being of the region, the five South-East governors met and resolved to bury their differences and work for the economic integration of the region.

    In the words of Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, the initiative was in the interest of the people. The meeting was a landmark because it discussed critical issues affecting the region such as security.

    On the issue of security, the governors agreed to collaborate by comparing notes to talk with the Commissioners of Police and other security agencies located in the region on security integration.

    Security, no doubt, is an important component of the integration and must be pursued vigorously. It is indisputable that kidnapping had taken a serious toll on almost all the five South-East states then and deserved a serious collaborative effort.

    When kidnappers are dislodged from one South-East state, there is every tendency that they would seek a safe haven in a nearby South-East state and resume their unwholesome trade there.

    But today, kidnapping has become a lesser evil than what has befallen some of the South-East states.

    Criminal elements wielding dangerous arms and weapons are on the prowl trying seriously to sack communities. They are killing indiscriminately and at will; razing people’s homes at the slightest or no provocation at all.

    The 2023 general election in the zone was highly threatened. The Continuous Voter Registration exercise was also highly threatened as gunmen invaded centres, ransack, maim and kill at will. Police formations, military checkpoints and public gatherings we’re at high risk and prone to gunmen attacks.

    There were enough early warning signals and one could attribute the present security situation to the inability of our security agencies to sample their competence in intelligence.

    When criminal elements were amassing large volumes of arms and ammunition illegally by sacking police formations and ambushing checkpoints, we did not need a soothsayer to inform us that the doomsday is imminent. We did not need a prophet to tell us that we were sitting on a keg of gun powder waiting for time to detonate.

    Really, we are sitting on a keg of gun powder and the detonation may be more imminent than we expect and some of the South-East states today do not know that these criminal elements lack the ability to expand their operations tomorrow.

    On this note, let the incoming South-East governors revisit the earlier regional integration, fashion out measures to collaborate and tackle this menace called insecurity headlong. Now is the time to collapse every political leaning and interest and chase away the proverbial wolf later to come back home and blame the straying hen. This will afford them the opportunity to cross-fertilise ideas and borrow notes from their counterparts from other states.

    On the other hand, South-East states can engage in joint projects that require huge capital outlay by pooling financial resources together. To buttress this claim, in past, the 19 governors of the northern states of Nigeria gave approval to Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), owned by the 19 northern states to establish a strong and viable bank.

    While NNDC was also vigorously pursuing the search for oil and gas in the Lake Chad Basin and the Niger-Benue trough, plans are underway by the northern states to establish an Agricultural Commodity Board, to guarantee market, quality and more farm produce in states in the region as well as the establishment of a multi-faceted Agricultural Industrial Park that would assist in fast-tracking economic productivity.

    NNDC was a strong instrumentality to establish a strong foundation for Northern Nigeria to be self-sufficient in food production, financial services and other sectors. Nothing makes it unbecoming for the incoming South-East administrations to think along this line.

  • South East region and the mounting insecurity

    South East region and the mounting insecurity

    By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu

    Security experts and analysts across the country, even beyond, are yet to come to terms with how the once peaceful South East region of the country has descended to a haven if insecurity with attendant killings, maiming, kidnapping, abduction and other forms of criminalities. The atrocities are crying to high heavens and have reached a pitch and feverish level.The region seems to be in a situation of helplessness as all manner of criminalities seem unabated. More worrisome is that for many years, south-east Nigeria was considered the safest geopolitical zone in the country. The five states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo — that form the zone had recorded the least spate of violent attacks in comparison with other parts of the country. For instance, in its 2019 report, Nigeria Mourns said the south-east recorded the least number of reported killings with 94 deaths, while the south-west recorded 157 deaths, followed by south-south with 341 deaths. North-central recorded 469 deaths and the north-east had 1009 while north-west had the highest with 1,118 deaths.

    In the last count, governors of the zone had touted some measures to curb insecurity and provoke development in the region, but these failed like a pack of cards. Maybe, for political reasons, which may not be far-fetched from political differences.One of such measures was the South East Regional Integration project,which some of the mandates include to strengthen trade in the region; to create an appropriate enabling environment for private sector development; to develop infrastructure programmes in support of economic growth and regional integration; to develop strong public sector institutions and good governance.Among these proposed mandates, security was the centrepiece. These initiatives toiknplace in 2017. Unfortunately, however, five years down the lane, nothing serious has come out of the initiative, rather, insecurity is staring the faces of some of the states menacingly and if nothing is done, as a matter of urgency, the states may slip more dangerously into situations like some of the Northern states, especially the North East and North West.

    Under the period under review, in a meeting attended by governors of the region and their representatives then, critical attention was accorded to issues such as kidnapping and menace of the herdsmen.There were enough early warning signals and one could attribute the present security situation to inability of our security agencies to sample their competence on intelligence. Like a security analyst succinctly puts it”Really, we are sitting on a keg of gun powder and the detonation may be more imminent than we expect. On this note, let the South East governors revisit the earlier regional integration, fashion measures to collaborate and tackle this menace called insecurity headlong”.

    Indeed, it does not require the services of a soothsayer to note that the region is sitting on a keg of gunnpowder.The Awo Omamma killing has increased public condemnation on Ebubeagu, which was seriously fingered in the killing, despite concerted efforts by Imo State Government to hoodwink and convince Nigerians that the atrocities were not committed by the outfit. When that kite could not fly, Imo state government did an instantaneous u-turn and labeled the victims members of Eastern Security Network, a claim which Indigenous Peoples of Biafra instantly punctured. IPOB insisted that the victims were murdered by Ebubeagu.

    In another u-turn, Imo state government linked the Department of State Security (DSS) with the killing. According to state commissioner for information and strategy,Declan Emelumba “We all know that security agents do not just descend on innocent people and murder them in cold blood. Being mindful of the fact that their primary responsibility is to protect the citizens, they only use force or deploy their weapons in extreme cases, especially when they are threatened or their lives are in danger.

    “Exceptions can be made for isolated incidents of accidental discharge, or when a drunken officer or one with mental health problems goes berserk. Even in these circumstances, 14 innocent people cannot just be slaughtered as if they were goats. It would even take a certain degree of callousness to shoot and kill 14 goats. Yet, that is the narrative that detractors and political opponents of the government of Imo State have been feeding the public since the unfortunate events of Sunday, July 17 when the Department of State Services stormed the camp of members of the Eastern Security Network in Awo Omama, resulting in the exchange of gunfire and the killing and arrest of some people”.

    This claim was equally punctured by one of survivors of the incident it was his brother’s marriage ceremonies that the victims attended. The survivor was reported thusly:”As we finished the traditional wedding ceremony, we set out to go on four motorcycles. Three motorcycles were ahead of us while we rode behind. Suddenly, the Ebubeagu people opened fire and killed the ones ahead of us. As I noticed that, I told the rider of our motorcycle to make a turnaround and the Ebubeagu people came after us.

    “As we sped, we got to a road bump and fell. They caught up with us and immediately shot the rider dead and shot the other person on his arm. I immediately started shouting, telling them that we were not criminals or ESN people. As they approached, I identified their leader and asked him not to kill me. One of them had already cocked his gun to shoot me but he ordered him to stop. I was bundled into their operational vehicle, tied and blindfolded.

    “They took me to their camp at Omuma and locked me up. I kept telling them that I was not a criminal that my immediate younger brother had his traditional wedding and we were returning home from Awo Omamma. They then brought me out and asked me to take them to the venue of the traditional marriage. We went there and they equally took me to the compound of our traditional ruler and later brought me back to their camp where I spent the night”.

    As insecurity continues to ravage the zone, prominent figures, including the husband of late Dora Akunyili have been felled by the assassins bullets. Living in the South East  now, especially some locations that are major flash points is a nightmare. Some fingers are pointing seriously on the direction of Ebubeagu for the spate of insecurity ravaging the zone.

    Ebubeagu was originally conceived as a regional effort, just like Amotekun in the South West, to tackle insecurity in the region. But unfortunately, the idea of the outfit morphing into a central security outfit was truncated as Ebonyi and Imo adopted a different operational methods unlike the rest of the South East states. The situation has degenerated to the point that Ebonyi and Imo states are blamed of deploying the outfits to instruments of intimidation to suppress political opponents.

    There are continuous harp by security experts and analysts for a coordinated and uniformed efforts by the  various Ebubeagu outfits in the states. One of such commentators, Kingsley Nnajiofor, blamed it on “the carefree attitude and poor leadership of the current South-East governors, adding“one had thought that the growing problem of insecurity in the zone would spur the governors to unite and fight it together. For instance, if the governors of Imo and Anambra are cooperating, the frequent infiltration from Imo State Ebubeagu outfit into Anambra to cause havoc, will not be happening. Because of the  proximity of the two states, the border local government areas in Anambra State have become so insecure.”

    This is as Dr. Freedom Onuoha, a lecturer and security consultant opines that “the governors should make room for regional recruitment structure, training and evaluation of the Ebubeagu personnel before deploying them. A regional Ebubeagu would help to standardise the outfit so that operatives can easily interface across the region to check security breaches”.According to him, a well designed structure for the outfit would help to reduce political manipulation of the personnel by the governors. “If the governors of the South-East are going to get it right with Ebubeagu security outfit, there should be a regional structure that would deal with the whole issue of recruitment, training, standard, and evaluation of the security personnel before deployment.

    “That way, they would be operating as a regional force, even though their areas of responsibilities might be circumscribed by each state.

    “But then, the criteria for recruitment, the training and the nature of deployment would be so standardized across the states, such that the personnel can easily interface in managing security situations in the South-East states. This would reduce the chances of political manipulations, especially, by the governors.

    “However, if each of the governors decides how to go about Ebubeagu recruitment, structure, training and evaluation, it would be very easy for the governors to manipulate them.

    “I am not surprised that many of the personnel have been accused of excesses and extra-judicial killings of innocent people in Ebonyi and Imo states due to the way their operations were structured. It is a good idea but the operational structure is faulty,” Onuoha said.

    Recently, members of Ebubeagu outfit are not prime targets of gunmen. A prominent incident is the killing of  a member of Ebonyi State Command of the security outfit, identified as Mr Sunday Izhikpa. The victim who hailed from Nduakparata Igbeagu in Izzi  local government of the state was reportedly killed at his duty post, Mkpuma Ekwa-oku in Izzi LGA of the State.

    It will be recalled that one of the fallouts of the EndSars protests in the South East was armed elements invading security formations, sacking them and carting away arms and ammunitions. 

    This trend put Imo State in a very precarious situation. On April 5, 2021, gunmen attacked the Imo police headquarters and correctional service. The gunmen reportedly freed at least 1,844 inmates during the attack and also looted the police armoury.  Mohammed Adamu, the the Inspector-General of Police, in his reaction to the incident accused the security arm of IPOB, Eastern Security Network, ESN on the incident

    Reacting to the incident, Mohammed Adamu, the then inspector-general of police, had accused IPOB’s armed unit – ESN – of being culpable. Some hours after the attack, Kanu, IPOB’s leader, posted a tweet saying nobody deserves to be in a prison in Nigeria. 

    While IPOB denied the allegation, a tweet by the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu:“If Miyetti Allah terror herdsmen & other murderous #Fulani groups, including Boko Haram insurgents, can be arrested, freed and rehabilitated by this neo-colonial Fulanised @NGRPresident, then no single soul deserves to be in any prison in Nigeria. If you know you know! #UGM,” contradicted the denial.

    The tweet continued:“Unknown gunmen are different people which we don’t know and they are not IPOB or ESN security outfit,” IPOB spokesperson had said. Gunmen unleashing deadly attacks in the region are described as “unknown gunmen” in the media and public discourses. But many believe the so-called unknown gunmen are ESN/IPOB operatives, drawn from dissatisfied youth in the zone where unemployment and feelings of marginalisation are widespread. 

    Since arms and ammunitions started circulating in the hands of disgruntled elements, law and order in the South East have dipped far below. Cult rivalries and cult related killings have skyrocketed. The most prominent is the Ebenebe Massacre”. In this incident, armed elements invaded a burial ceremony in Ebenebe, an Anambra community and killed almost scores of persons who attended the burial ceremony. The burial ceremony was turned to a double tragedy.

    According to sources, a prior warning was issued to the bereaved family to desist from holding the burial ceremony because of the alleged atrocities the deceased committed during his life time. But these warnings and threats felled on strong ears and dozens of lives paid dearly for this obstinacy.

    There is a near consensus that the amassing of arms and ammunitions for illegal purposes is a major contributor to high level insecurity witnessed in the zone. A public affairs commentator who would not want his name in print agrees that” until those arms and ammunitions amassed by disgruntled elements during the periods when security formations in the South East were gruesomely attacked are traced and mopped, the security situation in the zone will continue to deteriorate.

    All the same, among the South East states, Abia has enjoyed relative peace as there are no escalations in violent crimes in the state save for pockets of kidnappings and hostagebtakings at some locations baling Port-Harcourt- Enugu expressway. These crimes are allegedly linked with Fulani herdsmen, especially those involved in cattle business along that route. To check this menace, the state government recently demolished some shanties suspected to serve as hideouts for these criminals.

    Since the state took some proactive measures to address the issue, the incidence kidnappings and hostage takings have dropped drastically. Analysts are of the opinion the why relative peace and security are enjoyed in Abia is because of the approaches adopted by Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu to address security issues. It will be recalled that before the advent of Gov Ikpeazu’s emergence as governor of the state, the state, especially Aba, the commercial hub, was a haven for all manner of criminals, especially kidnappers, that the state was almost sacked.

    Another school of thought is attributing the descent to near anarchy in the South East to the activities of Easter Security Network, ESN. The opinion is the renewed secession struggles of of IPOB which have gone violent and radical and the attendant countermeasures by government to check them have escalated insecurity in the region.

    ESN was established in December 13, 2020. And according to the leader of IPOB, Nazi Nnamdi KANU, the mandate of the group was protect the region against criminal activities, especially from the herders.

    Adding his voice to justify the existence of ESN, Emma Powerful, IPOB’s spokesman, noted that the  objective of the network is to protect the south-east from “criminal activity”, adding that ESN is a replica of Amotekun, a security outfit established by the governors of the south-west to curb insecurity in that geopolitical zone. But ESN has been blamed for escalating attacks on civilians and government facilities and security personnel in the south-east.

    Recent data from Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and media reports show that killings in the south-east rose by 555.7 percent between 2020 and 2021 and opposes the claims that ESN was created to check insecurity in the South East.

    Freedom Onuorah, a security expert, contradicting claims by IPOB leadership  blames the “dramatic deterioration of security in the south-east” on the activities of IPOB/ESN.

    According to him, ESN was set up to combat activities of “herdsmen” allegedly responsible for the attacks on rural communities — but the use of force against the outfit by security operatives and designation of IPOB as a terrorist group complicated the situation.

    He said the attack on the Imo prison triggered the regrouping of former criminals. 

    “The emergence of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) of the IPOB is implicated in the raiding of some forest to confront some Fulani herdsmen allegedly responsible for the attacks on rural communities in the south-east,” Onuorah said. “However, the manner in which federal security forces went after the ESN complicated the situation as it became difficult to identify the ESN group and their command structure.”

    The security expert submitted that the continuation of the sit-at-home in the south-east despite its suspension by IPOB shows the group has “lost control” of its men in the zone.

    He suggested that the federal government should dialogue with IPOB and seek a “negotiated settlement” for Kanu who is currently in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS). 

    He further encouraged south-east governors to set up a “robust regional” security outfit that will prioritise the activation of community-driven early warning system, and enhanced identification of residents or visitors.

    However, experts are of the view that for the insecurity presently bedevilling the South East to be tackled headlong, governors of the region must show genuine commitment, honesty and sincerity. There should be a collaborative efforts among them and political differences must be jettisoned. If not, according to an expert, it will amount to the proverbial man who chases mice while his house was on fire.

    It is further suggested that the activities of Ebubeagu must be defined, coordinated, and articulated. Expert opinions further suggest that all forms of operations by ESN should be strictly checked, while the arms and ammunitions in illegal circulation should be urgently mopped up.

    Another laudable suggestion is that security agencies in the region should engage more in intelligence approach to security, among other suggestions.

  • South East Region has collapsed economically — ADC

    South East Region has collapsed economically — ADC

    The African Democratic Congress, ADC, yesterday, said the South East region has completely collapsed economically.

    ADC stated this in a statement signed by the South East ADC National Vice Chairman, Chilos Godsent and Zonal Secretary, Agumadu Frank, issued to newsmen in Owerri, after the ADC South East zonal meeting which they held in Enugu.

    They said the decay in infrastructure and economic challenges was caused by the leadership ineptitude of the ruling class.

    According to ADC, “It’s no longer news to everyone of us that has gathered here today that governance in the five states in South East is in a state of comatose and complete collapse.

    “The five states in the South East zone cannot boast of any infrastructural development, neither can they boast of economic prosperity. Since the 1999 democratic experiments, governance in the five states of the South East has been dominated by political mediocrity characterized by leadership ineptitude and treacherous tendencies.

    “The stock in trade of these political mediocre and rascals is to shamelessly loot the treasury of the state entrusted to them to a near state of bankruptcy. Thus, the aforementioned ruling class has consciously enforced the regime of poverty and impunity on the masses of the South East who have for many years now, been politically inactive.

    “This leadership ineptitude and sheer corruption by the South East ruling class has drastically increased the militant agitation for self-determination by the youths of the zone which has driven the region into a hopeless state of insecurity, wanton killings, etc.

    “The African Democratic Congress, ADC, South East zone, hereby condemns in its totality, the increasing state of insecurity and militarization in the region, characterized by banditry, kidnapping, ritual killings and other forms of criminalities currently ravaging the South East region because of the collapse of governance and leadership.

    “This has no doubt set the region backwards in terms of investments and economic growth and development indices.”

  • CVR: INEC Deploys 209 machines to 5 South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano

    CVR: INEC Deploys 209 machines to 5 South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deployed additional 209 voter enrolment machines to five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano to ease the congestion at the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres.

    The commission disclosed this in a statementy its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee in Abuja on Friday.

    Okoye said that the commission received reports from states indicating an unprecedented surge in the number of citizens that wished to register as voters and the challenges they faced across the country.

    Okoye said that the reports indicated that in some states, sudden turnout of prospective registrants was overwhelming.

    “Consequently, the Commission convened an urgent meeting with all the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday, to review the situation so that eligible Nigerians who wish to register are able to do so.

    “The necessity to urgently deploy more voter enrolment machines to ease the congestion at the registration centres was identified as a priority.

    “In response, the Commission has immediately released additional 209 machines deployed mainly to the five South Eastern States, Lagos and Kano where the pressure is most acute.

    “The Commission will monitor the situation over the next few days. Thereafter, it will meet to review the progress of the exercise,” he said.

    Okoye said that every step would be taken and all options would be explored to ensure that eligible Nigerians were given the opportunity to register as voters.

    “The Commission appeals for patience and understanding of all citizens.

    “Every Nigerian who is 18 years of age and above has the constitutional right to register and vote in any part of the country he/she resides without let or hindrance,” he said.

    Okoye said that the sudden surge was an affirmation of the increasing confidence Nigerians have in INEC electoral process.

    He said that the Commission would continue to ensure that the confidence was sustained.

  • 2023: South East will no longer be loyal to Nigeria if denied Presidency – HURIWA

    2023: South East will no longer be loyal to Nigeria if denied Presidency – HURIWA

    Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has warned that retaining political power in the north would be tantamount to national suicide.

    The group vehemently kicked against any moves by northern political elites to retain the presidency beyond 2023 when President Muhammadu Buhari will leave the Presidential Villa.

    According to HURIWA, the two leading political parties should zone their presidential slots to the South East, “for the sake of justice and fairness”.

    The rights advocacy group, in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and made available to DAILY POST, called on all political parties to follow what will retain the unity of the country and zone the presidency to south east.

    The group pointed out that the Igbo-dominated region has never been elected into the office of the president since independent, adding that Nigeria will have many disloyal groups to contend with should the Igbo be denied the opportunity to lead Nigeria

    Addressing the press in Abuja on Wednesday, Onwubiko said the current political and security situation in the country required that power should shift to southern Nigeria.

    He said: “If they want the country to have stability, unity and to last longer than next year. The moment the leadership is given back to the north, so many decent-minded southerners will lose their mind.

    “They will be disloyal to the country because the country is a country of injustice. And nobody in his right conscience will want a country that does not believe that he is a human being.”

  • South East, regional integration, and mounting insecurity

    South East, regional integration, and mounting insecurity

    By Okechukwu Keshi Ukegbu

    Precisely in 2017, governors of the states in the South East regional came up with a laudable and Noble initiative to forge a very strong and reliable regional integration. Five years down the lane, nothing serious has come out of the initiative, rather insecurity is staring the faces of some of the states menacingly and if nothing is done as a matter of urgency, the states may slip more dangerously into situations with some of the Northern states, especially the North East and North East and North West.

    The urge for regions across the country to come together and forge economic integration was increasing at geometric progression, and this provoked the interests of South East governors to join the moving train.

    Regional integration, which is simply the joining of individual states within a region into a larger whole, is now the vogue. This arrangement tends to achieve the following functions: to strengthen trade in the region; to create an appropriate enabling environment for private sector development; to develop infrastructure programmes in support of economic growth and regional integration; to develop strong public sector institutions and good governance.

    Others are to reduce social exclusion and the development of an inclusive civil society; to contribute to peace and security in the region; to build environment programmes at the regional level; and to strengthen the region’s interaction with other regions.

    The urge for a stronger regional integration by the South East governors was basically informed by the prevailing economic realities in the country. In the South West region, the governors of the region in a continued search for Regional Integration of the zone under the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), then resolved to work together to address security challenges confronting the region and foster economic growth and well-being of the people.

    In a meeting well attended by governors of the region and their representatives then, critical attention was accorded to issues such as kidnapping and menace of the herdsmen.

    In the South East, efforts, in the period under, were in top gear to foster an economic integration. In a bid to advance the economic well-being of the region, the five South East governors met and resolved to bury their differences and work for the economic integration of the region.

    In the words of Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, the initiative was in the interest of the people. The meeting was a landmark because it discussed critical issues affecting the region such as security. On the issue of security, the governors agreed to collaborate by comparing notes to talk with the Commissioners of Police and other security agencies located in the region on security integration.

    Security, no doubt, is an important component of the integration and must be pursued vigorously. It is indisputable that kidnapping had taken a serious toll on almost all the five South East states then and deserved a serious collaborative effort. When kidnappers are dislodged from one South East state, there is every tendency that they would seek a safe haven in a nearby South East state and resume their unwholesome trade there. But today, kidnapping has become a lesser evil that what have befallen some of the South East states. Criminal elements wielding dangerous arms and weapons are the prowl trying seriously to sack communities. They are killing indiscriminately and at will; razing peoples homes at the slightest or no provocations. The 2023 general elections in the zone bus highly threatened. The Continuous Voter Registration exercise is highly threatened as gun men now invade centres ransack, maim and kill at will. Police formations, military check points and public gatherings are now at high risk and prone to gun men attacks.

    There were enough early warning signals and one could attribute the present security situation to inability of our security agencies to sample their competence on intelligence. When criminal elements were amassing large volume of arms and ammunitions illegally by sacking police formations and ambushing checkpoints, we did not need a soothsayer to inform that the dooms day is imminent. We did not need a prophet to tell us that we were sitting on a keg of gun powder waiting for time to detonate.

    Really, we are sitting on a keg of gun powder and the detonation may be more imminent than we expect. That some fo the South East states today does not that these criminal elements lack the ability to expand their operations tomorrow. On this note, let the South East governor’s revisit the earlier regional integration, fashion measures to collaborate and tackle this menace called insecurity headlong. Now is the time to collapse every political leaning and interest and chase away the proverbial wolf later to come back home and blame the straying hen.This will afford them the opportunity to them to cross- fertilise ideas and borrow notes from their counterparts from other states.

    On the other hand, South-East states can engage in joint projects that require huge capital outlay by pulling financial resources together. To buttress this claim, in past, the 19 governors of the northern states of Nigeria gave approval to Northern Nigeria Development Company (NNDC), owned by the 19 northern states to establish a strong and viable bank.

    While NNDC was also vigorously pursuing the search for oil and gas in the Lake Chad Basin and the Niger-Benue trough, plans are underway by the northern states to establish an Agricultural Commodity Board, to guarantee market, quality and more farm produce in states in the region as well as the establishment of a multi-faceted Agricultural Industrial Park that would assist in fast-tracking economic productivity.

    NNDC was a strong instrumentality to establish a strong foundation for Northern Nigeria to be self sufficient in food production, financial services and other sectors. Nothing makes it unbecoming for the South East states to think along this line.

    Ukegbu, a public affairs analyst, writes Aba, Abia State, and can be reached through keshiafrica@gmail.com or 09027002127

  • Why Nigeria Needs An Igbo President From The South East In 2023

    Why Nigeria Needs An Igbo President From The South East In 2023

    By Dauda Reng Pam.

    Though, power rotation or zoning may be undemocratic by conventional parameters, however, there is no universally acceptable practice of democracy as rotational or zoning of top political offices is meant to inculcate the spirit of inclusiveness and to reduce to the barest level cases of marginalisation and over dominance of the majority.

    That is why the practice of democracy differs even in developed nation’s of the world, e.g, the United States of America, France, Germany and even Britain. Sociology, for instance, posits that positive discrimination is healthy, if it is hinged on the interest of the greater good of the society.

    Every country has the liberty to adopt the most suitable model peculiar to its needs so long as it is in the interest of the greater good of society, Nigeria therefore cannot be an exception.
    It is commonsensical to my mind that unity is promoted when conscious moves are conceived to heal national wounds incurred in the process of national growth, conscientiously to accommodate disadvantaged entities by making political concessions geared at restoring faith and cohesion in the attempt to heal the wounds.
    No wonder, the founding fathers of Nigeria, in their wisdom had since identified these perculiarities hence the invention of federal character, quota system, reserved slots for students from educationally disadvantaged states etc.

    This equally brings to mind, the birth of the 4th republic in 1998,when the northern political elements realised that, they have been dominant in the power sharing for quite a while during the military interregnum, decided to consider the deepening sense of alienation of the Yoruba people following the unjustifiable invalidation of June 12,1993 presidential election that Chief MKO Abiola was clearly leading and coupled with his detention and eventual death.
    This culminated to the choice of a Yoruba president, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, who was released from prison to come and contest on concessional basis to assuage the disenchantment of the south-west and eminent national collapse.

    It is only logical and politically expedient that the southeast be given the opportunity to have a taste of the presidency, being one of the regions that is eminently qualified but yet to ascend to the podium of leadership.
    This in my opinion, will generate a sense belonging, cohesion and togetherness of all stakeholders as
    well as strengthen the bond of fraternity in diversity, thereby reducing the tension and crisis that may endanger the smooth conduct of the 2023 general election and equally guarantee the survival of Nigeria as an indivisible entity.

    The time for the actualisation of southeast (Igbo) presidential ambition is now, let’s give a sense of belonging to all confederating members to the Nigerian project. Let all the stakeholders play down on their selfish and divisive tendencies in the interest of justice and equity and play low on the “majority carries all” syndrome.
    Nigerians must imbibe the spirit of tolerance and fairness to one another and allow the totation or zoning of the presidency, governorship or legislative seats as the case may be.

    For peace to reign, we need to rotate or zone sensitive political offices across geo-political zones, when it is due, in the interest and greater good of the Nigerian project.
    If we must get it right this time around, then, we must be weary of desperate merchantile money-bag politicians in the up-coming 2023 general elections.