The governors of the South-East have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing insecurity in the area and have pledged to work with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to do so.
Following a closed-door meeting of the regional governors at the Enugu State Government House on Thursday, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma made this statement.
“The Forum firmly resolved to fight insecurity decisively in the region individually and collectively, in partnership with the Federal Government and other Stakeholders,” the governor, who is the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, said.
“We commend the security agencies for their cooperation thus far and encourage them not to relent.
“We wish to state categorically that the perpetrators of the insecurity in our region and their sponsors are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators.
“Therefore, upon arrest, they should be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land. The Forum resolved to hold the security and economic summit on a date to be announced soon”.
Governors Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Charles Soludo of Anambra, Alex Otti of Abia State, and Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi were present during the meeting on Thursday.
Numerous attacks in the South-East have been attributed to the illegal Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) organization or its armed component, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
IPOB, which wants an independent state for Igbos, has repeatedly denied being behind the violence.
According to local media counts, more than 100 police and other security officers have died as a result of targeted attacks since the year 2021 began.
Numerous prisoners have been released during prison raids while having their firearms taken.
The national electoral officials’ local offices have also been attacked.