Work Together to End Insecurity, South-east Govs Tasked
Alex Enumah in Abuja
The five governors of the South-east geopolitical zone have been urged to join forces, as well as strategise towards ending the killings and other security challenges in the zone.
The call, made by a civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), also urged the military and police to stop attacks and killings of civilians under the pretext of chasing ‘unknown gunmen’.
HURIWA in a statement faulted the current military onslaught, arguing that there has to be alternative to military force such as a negotiated settlement.
The statement signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Emmanuel Onwubiko, also condemned the recent “dastard attacks” on police and military formations in Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States.
According to the statement, “The unmitigated reign of bloodshed and violence have no utilitarian value to the Igbos, but have contributed to making the hitherto peaceful geopolitical entity a danger zone, thereby crippling economic activities for the people of the South-east region.”
Onwubiko said the group “is pained that these organised killings have gone on for far too long while the governors of the South-east states and elected political office holders, especially the members of the National Assembly, are totally disconnected from the realities of the crude, primitive and ruthlessly.
violent experiences that millions of Igbo people resident in the South-east region are going through.”
He said lately, attacks on police and military posts in the region have increased, noting that a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and a Police Inspector attached to the Umuna Divisional Police headquarters in Onuimo council area of Imo State were killed by suspected gunmen.
The statement added: “The unending killings and kidnappings in Nigeria are worrisome. The resurgence of attacks on police and army in the Southeast expose the lack of the right kind of strategy by the governors of the states in the region to bring about the quick resolution of these killings.
“The decision of some of the Igbo governors to adopt just kinetic methodology that even lacks accuracy has not succeeded in reducing the tempo of attacks, but instead, there are more killings because those using the military methodology of physically eliminating perceived threats have not mathematically succeeded in pinning down their counter attacks at the correct culprits responsible for unleashing devastating killings in Igboland under whatever guises.”
HURIWA claimed that about 50 police stations have been attacked in some parts of the Southeast and South-South regions in the last two years, adding that over 200 policemen and other security personnel have been killed during the attacks.
