CHUKS NWEZE from Enugu writes that the South East Governors Forum recently held a meeting asserting that detention of Nnamdi Kanu is not the cause of insecurity in the zone and made a feeble attempt, albeit very late, to curb the menace
The real essence of security
The main essence of government is to ensure the safety of lives and property of the citizens apart from providing social amenities.
This is because in the absence of security, nothing will work because socio-economic activities will cease immediately.
It is axiomatic that sustained insecurity in the form of war, insurgence and orchestrated crimes such as kidnapping and other societal malaise can cripple the economy and render it comatose.
Effects of insecurity
Hence governments at various strata, aware of the adverse effect of insecurity, spend huge sums of money for government established security outfits and even local vigilante to ensure that peace and tranquility reigns in the state.
At various levels, governments go all out to maintain peace and order to ensure that development activities are not disrupted and that people in a given locality do not live in fear.
Wars are always fought at high cost and for this reason, governments do everything possible to ensure that things that would culminate in wars and upheavals are nipped in the bud.
In retrospect, Nigeria fought a civil war, experienced insurgency in the Niger Delta region and is fighting terrorist Boko Haram, armed bandits in the North band also is still fighting to curtail Biafra agitation, a move which seeks to gain sovereignty from Nigeria due to alleged marginalisation.
Because governments appreciate the humongous resources implication of fighting insecurity, they, therefore, make efforts to see that peace does not elude the people.
War against insecurity in South East
In recent time, while the fight against Boko Haram, kidnappings and armed banditry in the North seem to be abating, even the armed Fulani herdsmen and the many killings attributed to them seem to be dying down, government attention seems to have been shifted to the South East geo-political zone where the Biafra agitators, especially, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), hold their fort.
Just the other day, the newly elected governors of Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra and Imo held a meeting on the aegis of the Governors Forum in Enugu and resolved to fight insecurity head on.
Though they were not specific but it could be deduced from their body language that they wanted the activities of IPOB and their vigilante group, Eastern Security Network (ESN) brought to an end.
S’East govs resolves to fight insecurity
The chairman of the South East Governors Forum, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who read the communique at the end of the meeting held at Government House, Enugu, said “they will work in conjunction with the federal government to ensure that insecurity in the South East is put at bay.”
Uzodinma further said, “In due course, we will hold a security and economic summit on how the insecurity in the South East will be routed.”
Fielding questions from journalists, the governor emphasised “the detention of the IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is not the cause of insecurity in the South East.”
He challenged anybody who hold such view to present an evidence and wondered how the arrest and incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu was the cause of arsons, beheading and dismembering of human, kidnappings and armed robbery going on in various parts of the South East.
It was, however, a big wonder that Uzodinma forgot that since September 15, 2017, South East has known no peace since the IPOB was proscribed by the South East Governors in conjunction with Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the National Assembly members from the South East represented by Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the then Deputy Senate President.
Earlier attempts
The then chairman of the South East Governors Forum, David Umahi and governor of Ebonyi state read the 11-point communique proscribing (IPOB) and used the occasion to plead with the federal government “to demilitarise the South East by discontinuing the Operation Python Dance (Egwueke), of the Nigerian army because of what the people of the geo-political zone were passing through in the hands of the security agencies.”
Umahi also reiterated their stance on the restructuring of Nigeria which was a popular agitation then, aimed at transforming Nigeria and pleaded with “all aggrieved groups to articulate their grievances with a view to presenting them to a committee of the governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and National Assembly members from the South East.”
Many citizens of the zone had thought that such move would have solved the problem or at least achieved a temporary reprieve but the federal government aggravated the crisis by labelling IPOB a terrorist organisation.
The preponderance of opinions in the zone is that the South East governors who had earlier proscribed IPOB “did not do anything to sway the federal government from designating IPOB a terrorist group. Therefore, as a freedom fighting group, their agitation heightened”, a indigene of the zone said.
Many citizens of the zone hold the opinion that the agitation then would have even abated but the federal government worsened a bad case as soldiers invaded Nnamdi Kanu’s country home at Afaraukwu, Umuhia, Abia state and allegedly killed as many as 28 people.
The army later gave a lame excuse that stones were thrown at them as they were patrolling the area on the fateful day, September 14, 2014.
Why some Igbo elders abstained
Two Igbo leaders, messrs Prof. Ben Nwabueze and Evangelist Elliot Uko declined to attend the governors meeting held in Enugu to discuss the prevailing insecurity in the South East.
Uko who spoke on behalf of the duo said, “we could not attend because of the absence of Nnamdi Kanu who nobody knew at the time of the invasion whether he was dead or alive.
“In order to avoid misconception, it’s important to make public reasons Prof. Nwabueze and I stayed away from the Friday’s meeting with the South East governors in spite of the entreaties of the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum whom we hold at high esteem.
“The bloody attack by the military on the residence of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the general insecurity occasioned by the needless invasion of the South East by the army, has made it difficult to have meaningful discussion.
“Since Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot attend the meeting with us, it will be inappropriate for us to meet the governors in his absence. Accordingly, we decided to stay away from the meeting.”
How the menace worsened
Still aggravating already a chaotic security situation, the Chief of Army Staff then, General Tukur Buratai launched Operation Python Dance on December 28, 2018 which commenced in January 1, 2019.
The operation was interpreted as a measure to check the activities of the Biafra agitators to ensure that the 2019 general election was not disrupted in the South East and the South East watched helplessly as many Igbo youths were wasted on the pretence of executing operation Python Dance (Egwueke).
However, seeing the operation as an affront to stop them from fighting the dastardly activities of the armed Fulani herdsmen, the Pro-Biafra group on December launched a security outfits called Eastern Security Network (ESN).
From the account of the agitators, “the aim was to safeguard Igboland from the marauding Fulani herdsmen that were terrorising people, killing and maiming and stopping farmers from going to the farm.
“The activities of the armed Fulani herdsmen were at their peak then and IPOB deemed it fit to launch the Vigilante group, ESN since the South East governors seemed not to be doing anything tangible to check the marauding terrorists, the armed Fulani herdsmen who some treat with levity by describing it as “herders-farmers clash,” whereas it was an invasion of the farmers and community people. It was to put paid to such insurgency that ESN was formed.
“The IPOB was, however, emboldened to establish ESN following the establishment of a security outfit by South West governors in conjunction with Yoruba leaders to form Amotekun, an IPOB kingpin explained.
“Whereas the South West was spurred by the th
ankless activities of the Fulani herdsmen who were terrorising farmers and killing people, especially, when the former Presdential candidate Olu Falae was kidnapped and the daughter of the leader of the Yoruba group, Afenifere, PA Reuben Fasoranti was murdered, they felt helpless and set up Amotekun to complement the government security agencies like the army, police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The account was that “since the South East governors dragged their feet on protecting their people, IPOB was compelled to set up ESN just as the West have Amotekun and the North have Miyetti Allah that fight their people’s interest.
To counter ESN, the South East governors who later woke from slumber and formed Ebubeagu security outfit.
Ebubeagu as a militant arm of govt
Surprisingly, the Ebubeagu which ought to be protecting the people seemed to turn round to be haunting the people, hence Governor Dave Umahi had to ban their operation in Ebonyi state, seeing what Ebubeagu was doing in Ebonyi and Imo state and some parts of Enugu state.
If the forming of Operation Python Dance, Egwueke, Ebubeagu and ESN would have caused peace to reign in the South East, everything went haywire when Nnamdi Kanu was ‘abducted’ in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria and to make matters worse, he was detained in DSS custody instead of prison custody and even when a Federal High Court in Abuja acquitted him, the federal government decided to hold him till this day.
How sit-at-home started
The IPOB that had been fighting for freedom and liberation then saw it as an opportunity to declare sit-at-home so that the entire South East would be locked down any day their leader appeared in court and when this seemed not to achieve the desired result, they decided to make the sit-at-home order a weekly affair every Monday.
As all entreaties to make the IPOB rescind its decision to end the every Monday sit-at-home, South East Governors decided to use force to put a stop to the sit-at-home.
Weak attempts to end sit-at-home
It was former governor Umahi of that first applied force to end the sit-at-home order by forcing schools, offices and markets to disregard the order and move about their businesses. As much as Umahi tried to end the Sit-at-home order, the more the enforcers of the sit-at-home became more daring.
They became so daring that they started attacking police check points, killing security personnel and even setting some government buildings ablaze.
As a government, some state governors started making moves to stop the sit-at-home. Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state on June 1, 2023, banned the sit-athome order in all the local governments in the state and forced traders, bankers, schools, and shops to disregard the order or face dire consequence.
The order became effective and operational from Monday June 6, 2023 and since then it has been like cat and dog fight because the residents, either out of fear or difference have continued to obey the sit-at-home order till this day not minding the government threat.
Determined to end sit-at-home order in his state, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra state banned the sit-at-home order saying that he would not allow the state to be a breeding ground for anarchy.
In Imo and Abia states, the sit-at-home order is being obeyed fully in some areas and partially in some areas till this day as the IPOB factional leader, Simon Ekpa, who ibased in Finland, Europe, has continued to insist that the order must be obeyed not only on Mondays, but at times a week and sometimes two weeks.
He was even being quoted as saying that he would make the sit-at-home last for a month unless their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is released.
Kanu not root cause of insecurity Southeast
And going by the way sit-at-home order has been causing havoc in the South East states, it became a wonder for the chairman of the South East Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma to assert that the detention of Nnamdi Kanu was not the main cause of insecurity in the South East.
“Don’t mind Uzodinma. He knows that the detention of Nnamdi Kanu, though not the only cause of insecurity in the South East, but it contributed to a larg extent. The governors, especially Uzodinma should prevail on President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu and reduce tension in the South East,” James Nwokeoma, an Enugu resident said.
“Unless Nnamdi Kanu is released, banning the sit-at-home will not work. From the way I see it, South East will never know peace unless he is released. It may not end the Biafra agitation but it will diffuse tensions,” maintains a journalist whose name is withheld for reasons.
It is generally believed in some quarters that unless the detained IPOB leader is released from detention, enduring peace cannot reign in the South East geo-political zone. The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is aware of this fact and have at different fora implored the Federal Government to effect his release, using political solution in place of military clampdown.
They physically visited the former President Buhari in Abuja to entreat him to toe their line of thought to no avail and this is why South East has remained unsafe till this day and the best option is for the governors of South East and Igbo leaders, especially the National Assembly members of Igbo extraction to put more pressure on the presidency to do some.
Governor Charles Soludo had promised to take Nnamdi Kanu on bail because he has seen that his detention is having a toll on his state and the entire South East and even the entire Nigeria because those who wish to visit or do business in South East on such Sitathome days do not feel free to do so.
Enugu state governor, Peter Mbah also knows the import of the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu and that was why, while banning the IPOB sit-at-home in the state on June 1, 2023, he pleaded with President Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu to diffuse tension in the state and the entire South East.
Should all the governors of the South East make committed and concerted efforts like the governors of Anambra and Enugu, the federal government might be persuaded to bulge and then release Nnamdi Kanu instead of the use of force which the combined security agencies have been using without checking the Biafra agitation and the crime waves like kidnapping, armed robbery, cult wars and cyber crimes.
