By CHARLES IWUOHA

The South East Governor's Forum has announced plans to commence joint security patrol along the highways of the region in December 2022.

Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Egr. David Umahi announced this in a communique at the end of Security Meeting at the Lion House, Enugu, Sunday.

Governor Umahi clarified that the Joint Security patrol was conceived to mitigate the level of insecurity in the region especially during the yuletide.

"South East Governors decried the state of insecurity in the region, you are all aware that our economic activities have come to a halt while kidnapping and wanton killing have become the order of the day.

"South East Governors therefore call on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the people of South East in beefing up security in the Zone bearing in mind that elections are also around the corner and there are heightened activities within this period.

"Meanwhile, we deliberated on the best way to help our people and also restore their confidence to go about their businesses and we all agreed definitely and totally to start a joint security patrol in all our major highways in South East and this will commence before December first, so we are going to put funds together to purchase vehicles to ensure that we have twenty four hours joint patrol of security people in most of our highways in South East."

"The Forum commended the Federal Government for efforts to alleviate the suffering of victims of flood disaster in the area but called for more interventions from the Government to enable the victims resettle.

"We hope however that while the immediate solution is being given by the Federal Government, that long term solution will be discussed because that is what most desirable knowing well that this has become an annual thing and with the climate change nobody knows what the next year would be like.

"South East Governors have decided to put funds together to further assist victims of the flooding in five States of the South East, it will be a common project to show synergy and to show sympathy to all our brothers and sisters who have suffered so much as a result of this unfortunate situation."

The South East Governors also called on the Federal Government to consider dredging of rivers in the Zone to forestall future occurrences of flood and associated disasters in the area.

"We also plead with the Federal Government to please initiate actions in the dredging of rivers in the South East region to ameliorate the destruction of houses, farmlands and properties, the Federal Government is also requested to come to the aid of victims and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons."

The Forum debunked the insinuations that South East Governors formed the outlawed Eastern Security Network, describing the insinuation as totally false.

"South East Governors have noted the purported statement that it was the South East Governors that formed ESN, everyone knows that what we formed is Ebubeagu and forest guard and these two outfits of our local security were extensively discussed not only among South East Governors but with our Leaders, so the purported insinuations that South East Governors formed ESN is quite unfortunate andwe have washed our hands from that statement."

He reiterated the resolve of the South East Governors to wait on the Federal Government to explore political solution to the case of Nnamdi Kanu.

"South East Governors are watching with keen interest, the development with the case of Nnamdi Kanu, however we believe that political solution is still very possible and so we ask the Federal Government that we are disposed as a people for political solution in this regard."

The Security meeting of the South East Governors was attended by Governors of Ebonyi, Enugu and Abia States while the Governors of Imo and Anambra States were represented by their Deputies.

Other Governors that attended the meeting include; Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi(Enugu State) while that of Imo and Anambra States, Hope Uzodinma and prof. Chukwuma Soludo were represented by their deputies, Prof. Placid Njoku and Onyekachukwu Ibezi.

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