S’East governors backtracks, to create regional security outfits – Contrary to previous announcement by south east governors after a meeting in Enugu last month to adopt community police in the region, the chairman of the region’s governors forum, Governor David Umahi has said yesterday that the region will soon launch a security outfit.
Umahi spoke while addressing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Ecumenical Centre Abakaliki, the state capital.
Prof Osinbajo was in the state to launch the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Clinics.
Umahi said the governors and other leaders were doing everything possible to secure the zone.
He said: “We have been challenged so much in the Southeast by security problems.
“Our people are mainly traders and farmers and when movement is not free, it is a problem.
“So, security is the problem of everybody. I want to assure that we are doing everything possible together with you and Mr. President to secure our people.
“We will not break the Constitution to satisfy our people. We have our own Amotekun with us and we will soon unveil it within the limit of the Constitution.”
In a similar development, South south governors are set to have their regional security outfits, the governors said on Thursday.
Southsouth Governors Forum Chairman/Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, told reporters that the six governors had agreed to set up a regional security outfit.
Okowa, who briefed reporters in Asaba, the state capital, said: “We have agreed as a region to constitute a regional security outfit.
“We have mandated the BRACED commission to work out the details and to brief us at the next meeting.”
BRACED is the acronym for Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta states.
The commission was formed 10 years ago by the states to strengthen economic ties.
Okowa said the next meeting of the Southsouth Governors Forum would hold in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.