Insecurity: S/East governors not sincere to protect the region – ADF President

 

chidiebe blog

The President of Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Professor Uzodinma Nwala has said, South East governors are not sincere to establish security outfit to protect lives and properties in the region. 

In an interview with Daily Sun, the out spoken Igbo leader accused the governors of continued to hobnob with the enemy and refuse to serve the interests of their people. 

 Nwala continuing; You should know how many of our youths are allegedly being killed every day and the many that have been allegedly abducted and sent to the North and other places. You knew what happened in Emene, Enugu State and what happened the other time in Obigbo, Rivers State.

When asked about security he mention early this year, when the Southwest came up with Amotekun, most people in the Southeast applauded it and said it was the way to go for the region. The governors said they were going to do something in that direction, but later started hobnobbing with the IGP on community policing that would still be taking orders from Abuja. However, recently, we heard of Eastern Security Network (ESN), allegedly set up by IPOB, but the governors have condemned it. What is your position on this?

His words, let me tell you something, nature abhors vacum. That is what we teach in physics. You must have read my statement when I resigned from the Security Committee of the Southeast, for the same reason that the governors are not sincere. If they were sincere, we wouldn’t have the kind of situation we have now. You should know how many of our youths are allegedly being killed every day and the many that have been allegedly abducted and sent to the North and other places. You knew what happened in Emene, Enugu State and what happened the other time in Obigbo, Rivers State. These are the kind of things we are suffering because our governors have continued to hobnob with the enemy and refuse to serve the interests of their people.

Let’s come to what Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB are doing. Security, even within the present Nigerian federation has many layers. There is a level of security challenge in Nigeria, which falls on the laps of the government of the federation. There is also a level that falls on the laps of the regions – in the North, there is what they call, Hisbah for maintaining their internal security. The Yoruba nation has set up Amotekun, which is regional and is perfectly justified.

We in the South East due to pressure from ADF and other organizations forced our governors to work with us set up similar regional security architecture, but our governors later sabotaged it.

There is also a level of security challenge, which falls on the laps of various individual states. There are things various states can do to protect their people. There is an existing anti-open grazing law in Imo State enacted during the time of Chief Udenwa as governor of the state.

ADF, through its Legal Bureau headed by Barristers Max Onyeukwu and Max Ozoaka had prepared an Anti-Open Grazing Bill, which was forwarded to all the seven states in the Igbo speaking areas of Nigeria. Up till today, that Bill is yet to be passed. Here we cannot blame the Federal Government. Our governors and the legislature are to blame. But it is a serious matter. What could be more important for any government than the security of its people?

There are also levels of security that fall within communities. I remember when I was a child, in my community we have community guards, the women also made sure that their farms were protected. Communities have rules to make sure that certain animals are not let loose to graze freely and destroy our crops; certain animals are tethered and if any animal is found in farms, the women or the youth will arrest it and the owner would pay before it is released. Communities also have communal laws to deal with miscreants and thieves, and within such context, they don’t depend on the federal government, and they don’t depend on the state government to protect their communities.

Even today, when you talk of the Fulani herdsmen harassing people in their farms, it is not only that the federal government is backing them, but the state government can do a lot to protect their people.

Where the states fail to do their work of securing their people, the various communities can protect their farms. It is their fundamental duty and right to do so. And they can do a lot to protect their farms. In addition, various organizations of women, youth, Civil Society Organizations equally have a duty and right to organize for the protection of their people as much as is within their power. The right of self-defence is a fundamental right that should not be tampered with by any government, unless it is a government operating as an army of occupation.

That is what ADF has been preaching. We have stated this position in several documents issued singly as well as jointly with other organizations.

ADF is therefore launching what is called, Akurulo Cooperative Movement (ACM). We want to make sure that our youths are organized to farm and produce food in their own lands; we are making sure that we are not going to depend on the North for yam, tomatoes, onions, pepper, etc. Ironically, even cassava is being brought from the North. What a shame! When some years ago, our women were exporting cassava to the North, onions and tomatoes to the North, but now it is the other way. We are going to address insecurity through farming. If the youths engage in farming, they will not allow anybody to stray into their farms; they will protect their farms, they have self-defence instruments, whether you call it gun, knife, machete, bow and arrow or catapult. That is the way to go.

There is nothing wrong with organised groups setting up their own security organization to help protect their people who appear to be abandoned. So, if it is what Nnamdi Kanu’s IPOB or MASSOB are doing to help our people, so well and good, provided it is not an adventurous exercise. They should show themselves as serious group not just a media outfit. I don’t see meaningful defence group advertising themselves like a circus show; they should be more serious. We don’t want the Afra-Ukwu incident to repeat itself. ADF is still in court challenging the Python Dance horrors, which consumed several of our innocent youths. We must be very strategic in addressing our security challenges and avoid suicide mission, He stated.