Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for immediate reorganization of the hierarchy of state commands of security forces in the South East. This it said will ensure that some of the heads of the security forces are indigenous to the region.

“One of the fundamental causes of the emerging security challenges in the South East is the lack of representation of the people of the region amongst some of the heads of state commands of the Directorate of State Services; Nigerian Police Force; Army, Airforce and Navy which at the moment are made of persons from mostly Fulani Moslem Bloc.

“This is one of the reasons why these targeted attacks by external forces especially from armed Fulani herdsmen in the South East are happening and like in the of the attacks at the Correctional Centre and police commands in Owerri, Imo State few days ago, there was no counter efforts by the security forces domiciled in the region against these well-coordinated attacks.

“We think these security services sabotaged and undermined the public safety of the citizens of South East because they feel they are not from the region,” the rights group said.

In a media statement on Friday by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Affairs Director, Ms Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA lamented the deliberate scheming out of officers from the South East heading the states commands of all of the segments of the security forces.

According to the group: “We are shocked that the powers that be in Abuja carefully selected and posted only Fulani Moslem officers to oversee the commands of the armed forces in the South East and this is the only place whereby officers from mostly one religious group are pre-selected and posted to man all the states’ commands of all the structures of the armed forces and Police even when there is no other geopolitical zone where you find officers from one ethno-religious bloc strategically heading the armed forces.

“This is why the armed Fulani attacks have continued to happen in South East and the attackers are deliberately left to escape by their kinsmen who are in charge of all the hierarchies of the armed forces working in the South East of Nigeria.”

The rights advocacy group said the Ebubeagu scheme which is reportedly the new regional security vigilante formed by the South East governors was the outcome of a meeting in Owerri between Igbo speaking governors and the following Northern Moslems: Maj-Gen Abubakar Maikobi (GOC, 82 Division, Nigerian Army); Air Vice-Marshall ldi Arnin (Air Officer Commanding); Yusuf Ishaku (Director, DSS Anambra); A. J. lbrahim (Director, DSS Abia State), H. E. Abdullah (Director, DSS Ebonyi), B. Likinyo (Director, DSS Enugu), Baba Tijani (AIG, Zone 9, Umuahia), Awosola Awotinde (CP, Ebonyi State), Ahmadu Abdulrahman (CP, Enugu State) and Rabiu Ladodo (CP, Imo State).

“We note with dismay, that most of these officers who hold the instruments of security in the South East of Nigeria are mostly Fulani. None is Igbo. We also note that there is no other part of the country in which the Igbo are allowed to hold security authority.”

HURIWA, which condemned the attacks on security agents by mostly hired mercenaries from outside of the South East, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the toxic marginalisation of South East of Nigeria in the security forces for peace to reign just as it condemned the killing of three officers attached to the Safer Highway patrol team of the NPF by unknown gunmen. Report says they were shot dead while on duty at Nwaezenyi Junction in Izzi Council of the state.

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