South East Governors, Ministers, National Assembly members, as well as leaders of political, religious and traditional institutions yesterday in Enugu raised the alarm over threats against Igbo indigenes living in some parts of the country and called on leaders of those zones to protect them Rising from a security meeting that lasted for more than five hours at the Government House, Enugu, the leaders urged National Assembly members from the region to support the creation of state police in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.

The leaders also directed the pan-Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, to articulate the position of the region on burning national issues, including insecurity and to come up with a common position of Ndigbo for further engagement with the Federal Government team led by Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen Bashir Magashi (rtd), who recently visited the zone for a security meeting.

A communiqué read by the Chairman of South East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi, condemned in totality, the violent attack on security agencies and vital national assets by violent secessionist agitators in the zone and other parts of the country.

The leaders, who noted that the meeting was a follow up to the consultation the Presidential delegation, led by Magashi had with the Igbo leaders, on June 11, 2021, on the security challenges confronting the region in particular and Nigeria in general, debunked insinuations in some quarters that leaders of the zone are silent on the activities of violent agitators, stressing that they had done their best to admonish and rein in the youths.

The communiqué reads: “The meeting set up committees under the Ohanaeze to articulate and address our position on all burning issues to further meet among ourselves and thereafter meet with the presidential team. We, the Igbo, do reaffirm our commitment to one united Nigeria under a platform of justice, equality of rights, fairness, love and respect for one another.

We have noted threats by groups from other regions against our people of South East and while we firmly promise to protect everyone, either from our own region or other regions living in our places; we plead with the leaders of other regions to please, note the threats to our people and to please address the threats to our people and to protect them.

“We condemn the killing of security agencies, the burning of strategic infrastructure and killing of civilians in the South East and even in other regions. We request our security agencies to please discharge their duties within the rules of engagement and the law. We request our National Assembly members from the South East to please support state police creation in the ongoing Constitutional Amendment. “We condemn in totality, the activities of violent secessionist groups in the South East and elsewhere.

We firmly proclaim that we do not support them; they do not speak for the South East. The impression that South East leaders are silent over some of our youths’ agitation for secession is not correct.

“South East governors, Ohanaeze President and our leadership, National Assembly members and notable leaders from South East had come out publicly many times in the past, including Ministers from South East to speak against such agitations. In order not to mismanage the unfortunate situation we found ourselves, South East leaders have set up a committee to engage such youths to stop and allow the elders of the South East to address their fears.

“The meeting endorsed our South East security outfit, Ebubeagu and asks all the personnel of Ebubeagu to work with security agencies and to respect the rights and privileges of all those living in South East and our visitors,” they said.

The meeting was attended by three governors and two deputy governors including; Gov Umahi of Ebonyi, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Gov Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia; as well as Deputy Governors of Imo and Anambra states, Prof. Placid Njoku and Dr, Nkem Okeke respectively.

Other leaders in attendance included; President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof George Obiozor; former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim; Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogah; former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; as well as religious and traditional rulers.

Courtesy (excluding headline) New Telegraph

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