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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The five South-East governors, Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio; the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Ministers of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd.) and that of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, have reaffirmed commitment to security in the South-East region.
They made the reaffirmation in Umuahia, Abia State, while speaking during the 2026 South East Regional Security Summit organised by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (South-East), Chioma Nweze, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and hosted by the Abia State Government.
The host, Governor Dr. Alex Otti reaffirmed his administration’s unflinching commitment to achieving adequate security in the South East Region through collaboration with other states.
According to him, security is the foundation of prosperity and the pillar upon which all progress rests. Otti described the summit as timely and its theme: “Collaborative Approaches to Strengthening Security and Regional Stability,” as very apt.
He said the summit was coming at the right time, considering the electioneering season, and advised that efforts should be directed towards curtailing political violence and creating the right atmosphere for the exchange of democratic ideas.
He warned against harming anyone for their political choices, stressing that pluralism in politics is the hallmark of democracy.
Governor Otti thanked the organisers for bringing the programme to Abia. Other South East governors, represented by their deputies, who spoke at the summit, equally said they were committed to the peace and security of the region.
The governors said the essence of the summit was not in any way to praise ourselves for past gains, but to map the future and stay ahead of the criminals in the region.
The Special Guest of Honour, Senate President, Akpabio said the Senate was ever ready to provide the legislative support needed to modernise security institutions.
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Represented by the Senate Committee Chairman on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, the Senate President noted that the theme of the summit reminded everyone of one truth, that no nation has ever secured itself through isolated efforts.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, called for stronger regional collaboration, intelligence sharing, and constitutional reforms to tackle the security challenges confronting the South East.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to restoring lasting peace and security in the South East.
While opening the summit, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd.), said the summit was the beginning of a new chapter in promoting peace, security and sustainable development in the region.
General Musa, however, said achieving this needs a collective action by all stakeholders. He noted that while the South-East remains a hub of enterprise, innovation and commerce, persistent challenges such as kidnapping and violent crimes should not be allowed to take over the region.
In his keynote address, former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika (Rtd.), drove home the need for adequate security in the South-East.
General Ihejirika noted that for collaboration to work and produce meaningful results, measures must be taken to ensure culprits of criminal activities were not spared.
A communique issued after the summit, and read by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence, Rear Admiral Oluwale Bankole (Rtd.), identified unemployment, youth frustration, drug abuse, political manipulation, social exclusion, unresolved grievances and inadequate government presence as major factors exploited by criminal elements to fuel insecurity across the region.
The communique recommended the establishment of a shared regional database to facilitate intelligence gathering and coordinated law enforcement.
