“Ebubeagu must hit the ground running” ―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Yesterday, the five governors of the Southeast region met at Owerri the Imo state capital and for the first time in a long while, the entire governors were present in persons. At the end of their meeting, they all agreed to form a united security front called “Ebubeagu” as a joint Southeast security formation. This is coming about four months after the IPOB’s ESN was formed, and more than a month after several security formations in the region have been attacked and weapons carted away by gunmen in guerrilla-styled attacks, across the region.
Without equivocation, the Southeast suffers intense leadership lapses. In which instance, not only are the governors merely reactionary, but they all have gained towering reputations as anti-people leaders. The wide vacuum left by leadership failure in the region is what created the problem they are now struggling to solve. In truth, the Southeast needs a joint effort on securing the region, there is no doubt about this, and this joint security effort has to be put in place by the governors for obvious reasons.
However, “EbubeAgu” the joint security network for the Southeast would have been formed some five years ago. Yes! This is because in April 2016 Fulani militants attacked the peaceful, agrarian Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani local government in Enugu and killed over 40 people. That was the first attack by Fulani herdsmen on such a large scale in the Southeast. Needless to say that the attack changed the discourse on herdsmen attacks and for the first time, President Buhari responded two days after the attack, which usually was ignored. Southeast governors did nothing to either show leadership or harness the political opportunity presented by that unfortunate event. Not only that the leadership failure was loud, but the lack of political acumen in the particular circumstance was also as well conspicuous. But worst of all, after five years of that attack, several other attacks have taken place in the Southeast by herdsmen and many more people have been killed by herdsmen without any consequence, whatsoever.
In contrast, five years after the Nimbo attack what has changed?
All these have happened and to date, no one has been held responsible for those atrocities. There has not been justice for those killed by the murderous herdsmen gang. In contrast, five years after the Nimbo attack what has changed? Not much. Herdsmen killed more than 20 people in three communities in Ebonyi state in April 2021. These and the stories behind each attack by herdsmen in villages, and the manner they desecrate cultivated farmlands in the name of grazing formed a whole new resentment against not only the federal government but also Southeast governors who are now reacting having seen the magnitude of what is to come with the way security formations are leveled in the Southeast.
The Southeast security outfit should have been formed before Amoetekun.
They should not have waited this long! The Southeast security outfit should have been formed before Amoetekun. It should have also happened just after the Southwest outfit was formed. It should have also been formed immediately after the ESN was formed. These are missed opportunities that are only made worse by the simple fact that there is no strategic coordinated leadership of the region by its political class. But in any case, now that they have responded, what exactly should the people expect? What is the import of the formation of a joint security network for the Southeast?
Ebubeagu must hit the ground running. Although there is likely to be a confrontation between the gunmen who have been on the rampage across the Southeast, that can easily be resolved in two ways; show of superior force or dialogue. But importantly, the security network must be up to its game and mandate and must secure especially villages that have been under herdsmen invasion across the region. Southeast must be safe for all law-abiding citizens and unsafe for all criminals and blood-tasty gunmen. Ban on open grazing issued by the governors must be fully implemented. Herdsmen with cattle have become a common sight on major roads across the Southeast both day and night, disrupting the flow of traffic without a care, to the utter amazement of people who look on in silence. This evidently is an abuse of decency that fuels hatred against the government and it must be reversed. The governors must also show convincing commitment to the well-being of the people.
The Southeast region has about the highest number of unemployed youths in Nigeria. What are the governors doing about this dangerous situation, harboring such a vast number of unemployed young people? So what this basically means is that on a general note, insecurity in the Southeast cannot be fought only with guns and security intelligence sharing. It must also be fought with targeted government efforts to rescue her citizens, and particularly her young people from wasting away and from the shackles of impending poverty. Southeast government must salvage its image from its current standing and begin a process of regeneration that must transcend politics. Efforts must be put in motion to ensure that Southeast states always have forward-thinking, people-oriented governors that the people themselves must choose.
If the rampaging gunmen will overrun Ebubeagu, largely depends on whose side the people are.
In the end, if Ebubeagu must succeed, it must be supported by the people of the Southeast; this is important because security is local. And if the rampaging gunmen will overrun Ebubeagu, largely depends on whose side the people are. From here on, Southeast governors and the political class must show something different from what the people are used to, so as to begin a process of repairing their damaged reputation, as a result of the negligence of their commitment to the people over the years.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
