The Governors of the South East Zone rose from a Security Summit on Sunday 11th April 2021 to announce the establishment of the South East Regional Vigilante Security Outfit code name “Ebube Agu” meant to combat crimes in the region. This move has generated several reactions from the public both in favour and against the initiative.
President Igbo National Council (INC), Chilos Godsent reacted to the emergence of the outfit as follows: It’s surprising to note that Governors of South East Zone will rise from an intellectual exercise called Security Summit and thus announce the formation of a Regional Vigilante Security Outfit without any legal framework.
This is a huge joke, it’s unacceptable for the Governors of the South East Zone to hold such Summit meant to be a serious affair without thorough consultation with, and inclusion of serving and retired senior military and police officers, self-determination groups and key stakeholders of Igbo extraction, it’s treacherous, total betrayal and sabotage against the Igbo Nation for the Governors to have invited Fulani military and Police officers into such Regional Security Summit meant to exclusively discuss the home land security of the South East Zone at this critical stage in the development of Nigeria.
We also note that the purported South East Vigilante Security Outfit as announced by the Governors of Zone has no legal framework as its not supported by any law from the State Houses of Assembly in zone, the purported South East Vigilante Security Outfit announced by the Governors of the zone was nothing but the implementation Fulani /Miyetti Allah security template for South East Zone which is now being implemented by the Governors of zone. You will remember that the Miyetti Allah has proposed the establishment of Vigilante in the zone but was resisted by many of the self-determination groups from the zone, We are afraid that the South East Governors are playing the scribes of the ruling Jihadist Fulanis, the Ebube Agu as they call it may be the conduit for surveillance and intelligence gathering against the self-determination groups based in South East Zone.
The Igbo National Council (INC) therefore urge the Governors not to adulterate and give bad name to the already existing INC Vigilante Security Outfit code name “Operation Ije Agu”. We condemn in its totality the process of formation and announcement of the South East Regional Vigilante Security Outfit code name “Ebube Agu”. We therefore urge the Governors to widen their consultation with all the major stakeholders in the zone especially serving and retired military and police officers of the South East extraction inclusive of all the Self-determination groups of the Igbo Nation. A stitch in time saves nine.
