By Ewa Innocent, Abakaliki
Ebonyi state government has unveiled the state chapter of the southeast joint security outfit ‘EBUBE AGU’ with their operational regalia.
It will be recalled that the southeast governors forum and leaders had risen from their expanded security meeting held in Owerri, Imo state two weeks ago and announced the establishment of a joint security outfit for the zone with its headquarters in Enugu.
This was in quick response to the security challenges that have bedeviled the southeast region in most recent times.
Briefing newsmen after an emergency security meeting held at the Governor’s office in Abakaliki, Governor Umahi who is also the chairman, southeast governors forum, said the outfit will work in synergy with other security agents to fight crime, adding that their uniform and operational modalities will be one; although according to him, their present uniform could be changed to reflect the unity of purpose for its establishment for the zone.
Umahi further explained that the existing laws by the various states of the southeast will be changed to fit into the corporation, just as the command structures and vehicles will be one.
“We have made our uniform, but we are most likely changing this uniform because from our last meeting in Enugu, all the uniforms of EBUBE AGU in the southeast will be one.
“Their vehicles will be one, the command centralised in Enugu will be one, changing the existing laws to fit in the cooperation between states and southeast.
“We just feel that the public must know that we are not joking, we are very serious”, he said.
Governor David Umahi announced the imposition of curfew on all entry and exit points into and outside the state, starting from 8pm to 6am.
While expressing bitterness over the killing of security personnel, Umahi banned night clubs, wake keeping and other social activities in the night, warning that N1 million naira fine would await any defaulter.
He said the killing of two soldiers and a police officer two days ago in the state was actually perpetrated by bandits and not the Eastern Security Network(ESN) or IPOB members as generally believed, and charged the security agents to go all out to arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime to face the law.
“We have directed that all wake keeps in the state must end by 6:00pm and the local government Chairmen, security agents and Ebubeagu must enforce this. All social activities must end by 6:00pm. When you defy this order, you will pay a minimum of N1 million because a lot of hoodlum activities happen during this week and keep going at night.
“We have agreed that all native doctors in the state and traditional medicine dealers must within seven days today register with the Commissioner for Border Peace, with the Commissioner for health, and with the CP. There will be an executive order to this event and anyone that is caught doing otherwise will be arrested and will be prosecuted.
“We are aware that there are some killings over the weekend—a policeman was killed, two army men were killed and I think one civilian and their killers are pure bandits. They do this killing and put it on social media that they are members of IPOB or ESN. Without standing for either IPOB or ESN, but they continue to deny that they are not into violence but for me, criminality is criminality and I have directed security agencies to crack down on all criminal activities in the state. And for those who did the killings, the security agencies must bring them to book within 72 hours, they must do that”, he concluded.
