Uzodinma Counters Umahi, Says Southeast Governors To Set Up Security Outfit

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has revealed that governors of the region are set to meet to consider the modalities of setting up a security outfit.

Naija News recall that the Chairman of the Southeast governors forum and Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, had stated that the region cannot establish a regional security outfit.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, Umahi said the reason is that security challenges in the states are different and that every state is peculiar.

He asserted that the governors in the region are comfortable with the different security architectures at various states.

The governor said the issue of insecurity is not peculiar to the region alone, but a national problem that must be tackled accordingly.

But Speaking to newsmen, Uzodinma accused members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) of hijacking the Eastern Security Network (ESN) name and using the outfit t commit a lot of mayhem.

“In the next couple of weeks, governors of the Southeast will hold a security summit in Owerri with a view to fashioning out modalities for setting up a security outfit for our region. We will hold an elaborate discussion with a view to finding a lasting solution and to complement the work of security agents in the country,” Uzodinma said.

“It’s necessary for every zone to be vigilant and have a security outfit, especially with the present situation we have in this country. We cannot lose fate with the management of security in our region and at the same time, we must be careful in the way we go about it.

“southeast governors tried to set up the Eastern Security Network by working with Ohanaeze Ndigbo. The attorneys-general of the five southeastern states have already anchored a report on it and before we know it, IPOB hijacked the name and started using it to commit crime.

“That arrangement has not stopped. We are trying to take a review. We will come up with an outfit that will be lasting. We don’t want to do things because others have done it or be copycats. There are permutations and we must defend our people and ensure that there is no external aggression.

“It’s not failure of government because the primary responsibility of government is to protect the lives and property of the people.”

He added that the governors in the region would not want to be a copycat, especially with the pressure put on them after the formation of Amotekun by the southwest governors, adding that the new outfit will be different from others.