David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi State has reassured that Ebubeagu security outfit will not be used to target politicians but hoodlums and bandits disturbing the state.
This comes barely a month after he had threatened to use Ebubeagu to arrest opposition politicians.
Umahi also said that his administration is ever ready to partner police, Army, Ebubeagu and other security outfits to enable to bring to an end the series of insecurity and communal clashes that is wrecking havoc to the state.
He stated that his administration approved the sum of six hundred million naira (N600,000,000) for the construction of residential quarters for security officers in twelve out of the thirteen local government areas of the state.
Speaking with journalists after a meeting with the commissioner of police and other security officers at the police command headquarters located at Abakaliki, he said he is fulfilling his promise to make sure that Ebonyi becomes the safest state in the country.
Represented by the commissioner of internal security, border peace and conflict resolution, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, the governor handed over one hundred and eighty (180) personal protective equipment, PPE, popularly known as bulletproof and helmets.
He said: “The governor is fulfilling his promises to make sure that Ebonyi is adjudged as the safest state in the country. He has a good partnership with the security agencies. It is also the governor’s view that the security agencies be protected because they are also human beings.
“He is handing over this PPE popularly known as bulletproof to the police. This is also to let you know that the governor is building a residential quarters for twelve DPOs and the money is about six hundred million naira (#600,000,000) was lodged out yesterday for such buildings. So that they will have befitting homes and then a conducive environment to operate.
“As regards to Ebubeagu, I want to use this opportunity to let politicians know that Ebubeagu is a security outfit that was formed jointly by both the traditional rulers and town union leaders of various LGAs and all of us can attest that the security situations is getting down.
“The aim is to complement the efforts of the security agencies and they are not after any politician in the state. And so far, you will live your life in line with the dictate of the law, we can not be after you,” he said.
Recall that Umahi came under fire in May for threatening to use the Ebubeagu regional security outfit to arrest former Senate President, Pius Anyim Pius; former governor of the state, Sam Egwu and other chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ebonyi.
Umahi accused the opposition leaders of plotting to bring down his government because of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.
Umahi, who issued the threats while receiving the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 9, Mr Okon Ene, also urged the police chief not to look very far when searching for those terrorizing the state because most of them were within.
According to him: “It’s very regrettable that a former governor of this state, who appropriated the wealth of this state unto himself, could be inciting a crisis in the state and incite the youths of the state and nobody is doing anything about it.
“When we had an attack on the Ngbo axis, his own local government, all he could do was to go and organise a press conference and said Fulani people came and killed the people.
“He didn’t come home to ascertain the situation and see things for himself. So, that statement incited more crises within that location.
“But the truth remains that the Agila traditional ruler was the one that hired mercenaries whether they are Fulani herdsmen or who to do the killings. And how did we know?
“The Agila traditional ruler was calling our people on the phone and intermittently giving the phone to a herder to talk to us. And the herder would talk to us and say, ‘We are with that corpse that you are looking for. We did the killing.
“Only two days ago, the same Dr Sam Egwu again started saying that the killing of the police is masterminded by Ebube Agu, which is our own internal control security. This tells you he knows about the killings.
“Let me tell you —the same Sam Egwu, Linus Okorie; I have their names: Ali Odefa, Chidiebere Egwu, Silas Onu, Amos Ogbonnaya and Fred Udeogu, are the people inciting these bandits. None of them, including Anyim Pius, has ever come out to condemn the killings in Ebonyi State.
“So, don’t look far. These are the people fighting you, these are the people killing you. This is the truth. If you want to find out, go to their Facebook and check.”
