An Igbo socio-cultural group, ‘Igbo Bu Ofu’, has called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to overhaul the security architecture in the region so as to halt the menace of kidnapping, killings and destruction of public property in the region.
The group in a statement on Saturday, signed by its leader, Ichie Ebube, said the heads of security agencies in the region should immediately be redeployed. He argued that some residents of Enugu, Anambra and Imo states had abandoned their homes to avoid being killed.
The group accused the Federal Government of treating killer herdsmen and bandits with kid gloves while clamping down on the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra and the Eastern Security Network.
The statement noted, “While not holding brief for the ESN, the group was a response to the massive and mindless killings by Fulani herdsmen with the active support (allegedly) of some security personnel.
“Although, the ESN went out of control by forming unknown gunmen which now also engage in kidnapping, killings, rapping, idolatry and other criminal activities, the governors in the South-East should be blamed for the insecurity in their respective states because of their selfish political ambition. If the security situation in the South East is not urgently addressed by stakeholders, a time will come when nobody would be spared.”
The group noted that poor governance had resulted in massive unemployment, poverty and hunger, all of which it said bred non-state actors that parade the region. It called on both federal and state governments to commence the payment of N50,000 as stipends to unemployed youths.
It also called for amnesty for repentant criminals, while seeking the introduction of Community Identification Number for citizens as a way of checking the increasing insecurity in the region.
