Renewed insecurity has again hit some communities in the South-East region. Anambra, Abia, Enugu, and Imo have been witnessing recent pockets of attacks and kidnappings by criminal elements. In Anambra, some areas including Orumba South Council and even Awka have recently witnessed a series of kidnappings. The office of Agunechemba in Umunze, the headquarters of Orumba South Council, was attacked and their operational vehicles were burnt. The frequency of the kidnappings in the council has made the people of the area live in fear with some relocating to other places. Orumba South shares boundaries with Imo, Abia, and Enugu states and deserves serious security attention from the Anambra State Government.

In Abia State, Umunneochi and Isuikwuato axis have witnessed recent security breaches. In Imo, Agwa in Oguta Council and other communities have been bleeding for long on account of attacks from armed herdsmen. In Enugu, Eha-Amufu is still under frequent attacks by armed herdsmen.

Recent developments in Anambra State

Criminal elements have been launching attacks in many communities in the state despite the existence of the Agunechemba security outfit. In the last two months, communities like Isseke, Umunze, Ogbunka, Nanka, and Awka have witnessed attacks and kidnappings.

In Isseke, gunmen wiped out the family of a community leader. Sources from the community said the gunmen came into the man’s compound and accused him of giving out information to security agents about the activities of the hoodlums who have been terrorizing the community and instantly killed him along with his wife and two children. This gory incident shocked the community which had been living in fear. Anambra State Government must wake up to its responsibility and provide serious security measures in the border communities like Orumba South and Ihiala councils.

In Enugu State, communities in Isi-Uzo Council, which shares a boundary with Benue State, particularly Eha-Amufu, have been under frequent deadly attacks by armed herdsmen. Also, communities in Uzo-Uwani Council that shares a boundary with Kogi State have suffered bloody attacks from armed criminal herders.

Reports claimed that between 2017 and 2022, suspected armed Fulani herdsmen attacked over 20 farm settlements in Eha-Amufu communities, resulting in many deaths. The attacks have continued over the years with many casualties.

Just last week, criminal elements suspected to be armed Fulani herdsmen attacked and reportedly killed over 10 persons in Aguamede, an Eha-Amufu farming community that has been attacked many times in the past. According to local sources, at the last attack, armed herdsmen invaded Ikpakpara, Aguamede community in the early hours of the morning and started slaughtering the natives like cows.

“They did not even announce their operation with any gunshot. They just came in and started using machetes to butcher people and had killed more than 10 persons in their homes before anybody knew what was happening,” community sources lamented.

A similar attack also occurred recently at Mbuji Eha-Amufu where no less than four people were killed by the same suspected herdsmen. Leaders of the communities expressed worry that no security agents were permanently stationed in these areas but were always drafted whenever attacks occurred and withdrawn thereafter. They called for the location of a formidable security presence in the area in view of its closeness to the troubled Benue State.

On Monday, June 16, 2025, the Neighborhood Watch personnel of Uzo Uwani Local Government Area, Enugu State, led by the Council Chairman, Hon. Chijioke Ezugwu was said to have confronted a gang of kidnappers in Awuzi village, Ogba Nkpologu, and rescued a female victim. Three suspects were also arrested and handed over to the Police.

Enugu upgrades its Forest Guard outfit

Worried by these security breaches and in a bold effort to improve the protection of the rural communities and farmers, Enugu State Government which truly made huge investments in the security architecture, has taken steps to rejig its Forest Guard. The government has upgraded the outfit to the status of a board and appointed a retired Colonel as the chairman and a retired deputy commissioner of police as the commander. Before now, the outfit was under the management of a coordinator. The government said the aim is to professionalize the outfit and enhance its performance.

“The Governor of Enugu State, His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has approved the appointment of Colonel Dan Didiugwu (rtd) as the Chairman of the Enugu State Forest Guard, and DCP Olamitisoji Akinbamilayo, PhD (rtd) as the Commander of the Enugu State Forest Guard.

“The appointment of the Chairman of the Forest Guard Board, which is subject to confirmation by the Enugu State House of Assembly, and that of the Commander of the Forest Guard, which takes effect immediately, are part of the state government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen and professionalise forest and environmental security operations across Enugu State, in alignment with its commitment to safeguarding lives, property, and natural resources.

“It is further announced that the office of Commander of the Forest Guard supersedes the previously existing position of State Coordinator, which is now abolished.

“The State Government expresses confidence in the capacity and experience of both Colonel Didiugwu and DCP Akinbamilayo to reposition the Forest Guard into a highly responsive and efficient outfit,” a statement announcing the upgrading said.

Otti speaks on the situation in Umunneochi, Isuikwuato

In response to recent pockets of security breaches in the Umunneochi -Isiukwuato axis, Governor Alex Otti vowed to deal ruthlessly with the perpetrators.

Apart from Umunneochi- Isiukwuato axis, criminals also occasionally strike around Ukwa axis as a recent raid of a criminals’ den around Ugwunagbo, near Aba, led to the death of a soldier. A number of the criminals were arrested and weapons recovered from them during the raid.

The Governor who was enraged over the ugly development vowed that no part of Abia soil would be yielded to criminals. Otti was reacting to the recent attack on the Commissioner for Lands and Housing, Chaka Chukwumerije between Umunneochi and Okigwe in Imo State.

Although details of the attack on Chukwumerije remained sketchy, he was said to have escaped unhurt when he ran into criminals operating around the Okigwe/Umunneochi axis. Insecurity was on the increase around October 2023 especially at the Umunneochi corridor, but had drastically been reduced following the launch of a special security operation codenamed: Operation Crush. But there have been rising pockets of criminal activities in that axis in recent times.

Otti who acknowledged the security breaches around Isiukwuato, threatened decisive punishments for the masterminds, declaring that his administration has zero-tolerance for criminality.

“In the last few days, we have had reports of security breaches in Umunneochi and some parts of Isuikwuato, to the extent that one of our Commissioners was attacked on the stretch between Umunneochi and Umuahia, and the Imo State part of the stretch. So what we have done is to double our efforts and make sure that we secure Umunneochi. And those who come from there will agree that in the last few days, things have changed drastically.

“It is our strong opinion that everything we do will succeed or fail on the altar of security, or lack thereof. So we take security very, very seriously. You may or may not have heard that within the month, a camp that existed in Ugwunagbo was attacked by security agencies. They recovered so much, and unfortunately, we lost a soldier.

“But the casualties on the part of the criminals were a whole lot, including the people we arrested. And we brought down the camp. So we want to state that as a government, we have zero-tolerance for robbery and all such crimes,” Otti assured and commended security agencies for their dedication.

Enugu monarch tasks govs on formidable regional security architecture

On his own, the traditional ruler of Igga Ancient Kingdom in Uzo-Uwani Council of Enugu State, Igwe Herbert Ukuta, proposed a multi-dimensional regional approach to tackling insecurity in the South-East. He called for a regional security summit by the South-East governors to develop a formidable regional security architecture; and called for the adoption of community policing and vigilante reforms that would involve the traditional rulers in security architecture.

“South-East governors must urgently convene a high-level security summit to develop a coordinated strategy that must involve intelligence-sharing, joint task forces, and a unified approach that can help dismantle these cross-border threats.

“Community policing and Vigilante Reform must be carried out. State governments should reform and fund these groups with the support of security agencies to ensure professionalism and accountability. The inclusion of traditional rulers in security architecture is vital because they are the closest to the grassroots.

“Inter-state security collaboration should be encouraged given the shared borders. States like Anambra, Enugu, Abia, and Imo should form joint patrol teams to monitor forest routes and rural access points often used by attackers,” the monarch suggested.

Imo security challenges have been devastating

Apart from the Monday sit-at-home, which appears to have been entrenched in the state, unsafe highways, farmlands, communities, kidnapping, armed robbery, and the rampaging armed herdsmen, have since become trending crimes. The activities of these terrorists on the busy Owerri-Aba federal highway, and in so many communities across the state, are very disturbing.

“We are celebrating Easter this year in an atmosphere of pessimism and despair. The general insecurity of life and property is heightened by the rising wave of kidnapping for ransom and the mindless slaughtering of innocent citizens by criminal gangs.

“We seem to be a nation under siege. No place seems safe: our homes, places of business, our highways, and even the sacred precincts of places of worship.

“The government’s lack of political will to address the rising criminality across the nation is pushing the populace to resort to self-help to defend their lives and sources of livelihood. This state of affairs is driving many compatriots to a feeling of cynicism”, Most Rev. Lucius Ugorji, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri had lamented in his Easter message.

Also, the Anglican Bishop of Oru Diocese, Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Chukwunenye, has joined in the call for the establishment of state police, saying that “it would help to address most of the security issues we are facing today. Apart from creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youths patrolling the streets, state police can conveniently complement the work of the proposed forest guards.”

Our land is bleeding – Imo community cries out

Many Imo communities, including Agwa in the Oguta area, have been under frequent bloody attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen which have left many dead and injured.

The situation has become unbearable that Agwa community has to petition President Bola Tinubu, saying “enough is enough.”

They appealed to President Bola Tinubu; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and Governor Hope Uzodimma to urgently stop the incessant killings of their kinsmen by bandits and armed herdsmen.

Speaking under the auspices of Agwa Central Union, ACU, led by Barr. Benson Akunya, presented the letter to the state Police Commissioner, Aboki Danjuma.

Speaking on behalf of the people, Comr. Johnbosco Obodo said: “We are afraid that if there are no urgent actions taken by the government to prevent future occurrence of this evil from herdsmen, Agwa youths may resort to self-defence.

“Agwa is bleeding. Our land, once known for peace, love, and resilience, has become a valley of shadows, soaked in the tears of mothers, the cries of children, and the silence of those whose lives were cut short by yet another unprovoked attack.

“On the 4th of June, 2025, the very soul of our people was pierced when suspected armed Fulani herdsmen invaded our community and brutally murdered innocent sons and daughters of Agwa. Many sustained various degrees of injury from guns and others were kidnapped. This carnage is not an isolated case but one of many attacks that have gone unpunished, unchallenged, and unaddressed, including the shooting of a pregnant woman in her house.

“Agwa people demand justice and compensation of N1,000,000,000,000.00 (One trillion naira) for the victims of the attacks. We know that no amount of money can replace lives lost, however, we believe that this little compensation will go a long way in mitigating the sorrows of the bereaved families and Agwa people at large.

“We demand the immediate establishment of a joint security task force stationed along Ejemekwuru-Agwa road to guard against further bloodshed and contain the movement and operations of criminal elements in our clan. Our people deserve to live without fear. We deserve protection from the government.

“This is not just a position paper. It is a cry for justice. It is the collective voice of wounded people who have watched their loved ones buried without answers, who have endured pains without protection, and who now resolve to say, enough is enough”, the statement read.

Responding, CP Aboki Danjuma promised to facilitate their complaints to the appropriate quarters but urged them to continually collaborate with the security agencies by providing them with credible information that will assist in tackling the security issues in their area.

“I charge you, the leaders of Oguta communities to look inward and do the needful. Because until you decide to expose the bad eggs among you, our efforts to restore peace and tackle security challenges in Oguta communities may not achieve tangible results.” Danjuma said.

Community policing is working for us – Ebonyi Govt

The Ebonyi State Commissioner of Internal Security, Prince Etta Uka Ude said that the state is more secure now than before due to the emergence of Neighbourhood Watch.

He said that Governor Francis Nwifuru has provided security training, gadgets, and vehicles to security outfits in the state to enhance their duties.

Ude said the secret of the security of lives and property in the state is due to the synergy between the people, Neighbourhood Watch, and other security agencies in the state.

He explained that every local government area in the state has 114 Neighbourhood Watch members each while 298 men are in the urban areas and are being paid by the state government promptly.

“The good result we are getting in security is because of the support we are receiving from the state government and other security agencies especially the police, Army, and Civil Defense who are always proactive in response to emergency calls at any time and any day.

“Community policing is working in Ebonyi State where the members of the public interchange information to assist security agencies and Neighbourhood Watch men to nip insecurity in the bud.” (Vanguard)