By Kenneth Onuoha
This is not the best of times for Nigeria. The current security challenge, no doubt, has brought the country to her knees.
From the North to the South, the story is the same. If it is not banditry, killer herdsmen, unknown gunmen, it is Boko Haram.
The situation is overwhelming, such that nobody is safe any longer. Our security agencies are even the worst hit, lately, and many of their personnel have paid the supreme price in the course of trying to secure the lives and property of the citizens. Their facilities have also been targets for attacks.
Ebonyi State, like other states in the country, has had its fair share of this security challenge. From the period of #EndSARS protest unrest till now, the state has had its worst security situation.
For instance, no fewer than 6 Police Divisions have been burnt down by unknown hoodlums, beginning from the period of the #EndSARS debacle till now; just as many policemen were also killed during several attacks on police facilities in Ebonyi State.
Unfortunately, the attacks took a dramatic twist for the worst in the past one month, resulting in the killings of many policemen and military men by criminals popularly described as unknown gunmen. The killings were mostly at checkpoints and other police facilities, massacre by herdsmen and inter/intra communal related killings in the South-East and South-South States, and Ebonyi, in particular.
The State Governor, David Umahi, has, however, been tackling these security challenges headlong, considering the measures he has put on ground so far. One of which is the establishment of local vigilante across the state.
The establishment of the Southeast security outfit, codenamed Ebube-Agu, which has become operational in Ebonyi State, was also a right step in the right direction.
In furtherance of his efforts to ensure watertight security, Governor Umahi has also imposed curfew on all exit and entry points to Ebonyi State from 8pm to 6am till further notice, to check the increasing security challenge in the state.
Making the declaration while briefing Journalists on the outcome of the State Security Council meeting held at the Governor’s office, Ochoudo Centenary City, Abakaliki, he directed all Local Government Council Chairmen, the security agencies and the men of Ebube-Agu to ensure strict enforcement.
On the killings of security agents and civilians by hoodlums he described as bandits in the state, Umahi directed the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators within 72 hours and crack down on all criminal activities in the state.
The Governor also announced the ban on wake keep and other social activities beyond 6pm, including night clubs, and warned that violators would be adequately sanctioned.
On the recent killings in Ngbo in Ohaukwu LGA of the State, the Governor alleged that Agila people in Benue State hired herdsmen mercenaries who did the killings, but said that would be the last of such killings in the state as his administration was determined to protect the citizens against unnecessary attacks.
Gunmen had two weeks ago attacked the people of Ngbo community, killed not less than 15 persons and razed many houses. But while the state government accused Agila people of being the mastermind of the attack, the natives insisted it was carried out by herdsmen.
The Governor, who lamented about the growing trend of people dishing out fake news using the social media, warned that the state would no longer tolerate it, and the council had directed the security agencies to crack down on anyone found guilty of the act for prosecution.
Umahi said: “Effective from today, we are placing curfew on all exit and entrance points to Ebonyi State. All the border entrance, going in and coming out from 8pm to 6am will be enforced. Nobody will be allowed to come inside the state or go out of the state within this period. I’m directing the local government chairmen, security agencies and Ebube-Agu to enforce it. And anybody found violating this is taking a risk. Movement will be allowed within town.
“We are aware there were some killings over the weekend, where a policeman, two army men and one civilian were killed and these people are pure bandits.
”They do these killings and put it on the social media that they are members of IPOB or ESN. Without standing for either IPOB or ESN that they have continued to deny that they are not into violence.
“For me, criminality is criminality and I have directed the 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.
“We agreed that there is rampant of fake news in Ebonyi S tate. Like today, somebody posted that herdsmen are in Ebonyi and that they are killing and schools started closing and people started running helter-skelter. Is that what we are going to continue to tolerate?
“So, I have directed whether you are opposition or in agreement, whatever thing you are; if you post fake news, you should be tracked so that you will be going to court to prove whatever thing you are posting.
“We have directed that all wake keep in the state must end by 6pm and the local government Chairmen, the security agencies and Ebube-Agu must enforce it. In fact, all social activities must end by 6pm and if you are caught doing otherwise, you will be made to pay a minimum of N1m. Because a lot of criminal activities happen when we allow wake keep going into the night.
“We appeal to our people to stop killing security men in the state and burning down infrastructure of government and killing civilians. There is no agitation in this criminality. Those that killed police in Onueke took the gun and went to Umuoghara in Ezza north to rob killing innocent quarry operators and robbing them of their money.
“Does agitation hold that you must go to Onueke and shot a bank manager and want to rob the bank? It is pure criminality and the state security apparatus must descend on them.
“We have directed that Okada riders must form their own vigilante, because 90% of our security problem is coming from those using okada, and if after seven days they failed to do that we will ban okada operation, especially within the capital city of the state.
“We have a law banning okada from operating in designed areas especially in the dualized roads in the state and that will take effect from today. It has to be reinforced.
“We can now confirm as a state that Agila people in Benue state hired the herdsmen mercenaries that came and did the killings in Ngbo. That is one killing that won’t happen again. We are determined to protect our people.
“Our ban means that night clubs must not operate beyond 6pm. If we don’t convict you if you defile this order on security ground, we will convict you on COVID-19 violation. So, there is no escape.
Governor Umahi has also held townhall meetings with all the clans in the state to get their buy-in in his efforts to tackle insecurity in the state.”
It is now left to be seen if these efforts by the Ebonyi State leadership to tackle the security challenges facing the state will bring succour to its citizens and residents.