South East governors incapacitated, say traditional rulers; demand state police

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

Traditional rulers in South East have described governors in the region as incapacitated to tackle the worsening insecurity in the area and called for adoption of state police to tackle the menace.

At their meeting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, at the weekend, the monarchs lamented the security situation in the zone and urged the governors in the zone to rise to the occasion.

They emphasised the urgent need for decisive action against the security situation in the South East to ensure safety of lives and property.

Chairman of the South East Traditional Rulers Council Ndubuisi Okeke said state policing remains the only viable solution to the alarming increase in kidnapping, ritual killings and other criminal activities in the region.

He maintained that state policing will help restore lost glory of the South East.

Okeke assured that the traditional rulers in collaboration with security agencies were committed to tackling the security challenges facing communities in the South East and called for concerted efforts to end insecurity in the zone.

Also speaking, His Royal Majesty described the call for state policing as the most strategic move that could happen to South East.

He alleged that governors of the zone have been incapacitated in their efforts to effectively control insecurity in the region.

“State policing is the best thing that can happen to South East because the governors are incapacitated; they can’t give orders to be obeyed in the South East. Orders will come from Abuja for them to obey.

“If we have state policing, security issues will be completely nipped in the bud because no state governor in the zone will like his state to be rubbished.

“So, I admonish our people to embrace state policing and I think this is what will save this nation,” he stated.

On his part, traditional ruler of Abaomege community, Ebonyi State, Augustine Ikechi, said the traditional rulers in the zone have been working very hard to ensure that insecurity becomes a thing of the past.