The South-East Governors’ Forum, yesterday, disclosed that it has written the Federal Government on its plan to establish a regional security network.
This was disclosed after the meeting of the forum at the Enugu State Government House, yesterday.
A communique issued after the meeting was read by Chairman of the forum and Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi.
The meeting was also attended by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Nkem Okeke.
Imo State was not represented at the meeting, which also witnessed the presence of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, National Assembly members and religious leaders.
The forum announced that the name of the network would be unveiled later, adding that it would have its headquarters in Enugu.
Umahi further disclosed that the operation was birthed before ‘Amotekun’ in the South-West, stressing that it would soon get legal backing of the Houses of Assembly in the zone.
Meanwhile, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yoruba Ko’ya Movement (YKM) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rise above ethnic chauvinism and put a stop to consistent attacks on lives, peace, economy and unity of the nation by Miyetti Allah, the umbrella body of all cattle breeders and herdsmen in the country.
The YKM threatened that the refusal to checkmate the group would give Yoruba people no option than to exit Nigeria.
The group said it was alarming that Miyetti Allah leaders would consistently go on both local and international television stations, including newspapers to harass, threaten, intimidate and insult stakeholders in the Nigerian project such as state governors, elder statesmen and notable religious leaders.
The movement called on President Buhari to exhibit patriotism and courage and put an end to the malady.
In a statement signed by its Convener, Otunba ‘Deji Osibogun, Yoruba Ko’ya charged Buhari to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of all the leaders of Miyetti Allah that had claimed responsibility for series of attacks leading to death of over 3, 000 Nigerians in the last four years across the South and Middle Belt of Nigeria.
He said that the President should act well and be conscious of what history would remember him for after his tenure.
Osibogun stated: “While we do not want to dwell in the realm of rumours, however, we are forced to state very expressly that the threat to life and admission to mass murder by identifiable and known leaders of Miyetti Allah without any word of caution or arrest by law enforcement agencies in the country led credence to the fact that Miyetti Allah are carrying out the briefs of some invincible forces at the corridor of power in Abuja or elsewhere.
“A mere trade union from a tribe continues to heat-up the polity while others shiver and shake in their pants for fear of attack; yet no arrest by our security formations. These murderous elements are so courageous that they appeared live on national televisions to attack a whole region comprising of over 50 million people, yet the agencies with the mandate to protect the lives and property of the people are acting like everything is normal. We say without any fear or intimidation that this is an antithesis of a strong and united nation.
“We, Yoruba people, therefore, want to put the Buhari administration on notice that we are not scared of any of these mindless and senseless statements from the hoodlums that the Nigerian government is obviously aiding and abetting. We wish to inform them that we shall protect our land and people with all the resources God has provided and blessed us with.
“In addition to the foregoing, we are putting the Federal Government on notice that if nothing radical and patriotic is done to stop the ongoing mayhem and open threats to our people by Miyetti Allah, we shall mobilize our people to take all democratic steps to ensure our safety and continuous existence as a nation within the Nigerian federation which may include a declaration of our sovereignty or our exit from the nation of Nigeria because we can no longer guarantee our comfort, safety and existence within this den of hell.
“We note also with displeasure that all statements by the leadership of Miyetti Allah are far beyond the bounds of treasonable felony that the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore was charged, connoting that all tribes are no longer equal in Nigeria”, Osibogun added.
However, following reactions that greeted the formation of South-West regional security organization, codenamed Amotekun, a Fulani socio-cultural organization, Miyetti Allah has alleged that the aim of security formation is ‘to cleanse the Fulani tribe from the South-West’.
Leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, in Bauchi State, Alhaji Sadiq Ahmed said the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) also known as Amotekun lacks the legal framework to succeed.
The elder statesman, who admitted at the weekend, that the nation was facing serious security threat, called for the restructuring of the security architecture in the country.
According to him, “I can tell you one thing: Amotekun will not last because it is indigenous, regionalized and lacks constitutional backing. The Constitution has a readymade provision for regular security with the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force, a regional security outfit like Amotekun is a breach of the Constitution that will only breed problems and conflicts.
“Is there a doubt anywhere that the motive behind the establishment of Amotekun is to cleanse our tribe from the South-West? It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to provide security; any parallel security outfit is illegal and unacceptable.”
The Miyetti Allah leader, however, called for the removal of service chiefs, saying that they have performed below expectation, while also advocating for the reform of the Nigeria Police to enable it perform its duties effectively.
“I suggest that the President remove the service chiefs immediately because they have done nothing, despite trillions of Naira that they have received in recent years. He should also reform the police, the Army and all other security forces in the country.
“I hear people every time trying to compare Amotekun to Hisba, and that irritates me. Hisba security outfit in the North is just an umbrella of an Islamic body only meant for Islamic affairs. It bears no resemblance of Amotekun or the motive behind its formation,” he added.