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From Magnus Eze, Enugu and Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Disturbed that the federal security structure was no longer able to protect Nigerians, especially with the spate of insecurity in the South East, stakeholders in the region have called for either regional security or state police. The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF) and Association of South East Town Unions (ASETU) believe that the only way to protect and defend their people from marauding herdsmen, kidnappers and other criminals was to fortify homeland security. According to them, the people must take charge of their security, starting from the community level, where coordinated vigilance groups operate.
To this end, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has enjoined governors of the zone to immediately activate and operationalise the Ebubeagu Security Network.
Apart from Ebonyi State, and lately, Imo, where the Ebubeagu security outfit are operating, it was yet to take off in the rest states more than two years after the South East Governors’ Forum inaugurated it.
National Publicity of Ohanaeze, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia said that recent happenings in the region have shown that it was not time for paying lip service to security, hence, he urged the governors to do the needful by ensuring the protection of life and property in their states. Ohanaeze Spokesman told Saturday Sun that a centrally coordinated security system would be the most effective approach in arresting the increasing insecurity in the zone.
“The point is that the issue of security outfit for the South East is unavoidable; it is something that has to be done. And that is why we believe that the only way to do it is to have a central coordination and to define the operational guidelines for all of them. There is no way we can avoid having a central security outfit for the South East.
“It has become clear that the federal security agencies can no longer cope with the rate of crime and general insecurity in the country. In fact, in any federal system, we always have three or more levels of security outfits; the federal, the state and the local government, even places like the university ought to have their own. We need three or four or more levels of security outfits in the country. For us to continue to believe that one federal security outfit is enough for the country is out of it. That is why we believe in a lower level of security outfit, call it Ebubeagu or anything,” Ohanaeze stated.
Also, former military governor of Delta State, Air Commodore Luke Ochulor (rtd), urged South east governors to rise to the occasion by prioritising security of life and property in their states. Ochulor noted that the success of the Ebubeagu security outfit was dependent on how united the governors of the zone were.
He, however, regretted that South East governors had not been able to take a leaf from their South West counterparts that formed Amotekun.
For the ADF, Nigeria is not just confronted by failure of national security apparatus, but also the collapse of the fraudulent monolithic federalism foisted by the military and their allies, the caliphate oppressors who hold Nigeria to ransom.
Acting National Secretary of ADF, Abia Onyike said the situation was worsened by the coming to power in 2015, of the most reactionary faction of the oppressive ruling class, which he said has been promoting sectarian policies rooted in religious fundamentalism. But, he warned that attempts to advocate or create regional police without a drastic transformation of the monolithic federal system would remain an exercise in futility.
“Some elements of this ruling class are neck-deep in the rumoured plans to impose an Islamic state as in the case of Afghanistan, where a Taliban Islamic movement was recently ushered into power. The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram and other fundamentalist movements are in the quest/campaign for the Islamisation of the Nigerian state. So, the only potent solution lies in the reconstitution/renegotiation of the Nigerian federation. Nigeria must return to true federalism and regional autonomy that will allow the police force to operate as autonomous regional or state police institutions,” Onyike stated.
