By Tony Adibe
The Southeast Governors Forum (SEGF) has on Thursday lauded efforts of the security agencies in making sure peace returned in the zone, emphasising that normalcy was being incrementally restored due to the cooperation of the security agencies with the governments and people of the zone.
The governors said this today in a communiqué read by the Imo State Governor and Chairman, Southeast Governors’ Forum, Senator Hope Uzodimma, shortly after their meeting at the Government House, Enugu.
The meeting, which was attended by Governors Peter Mbah (Enugu), Charles Soludo (Anambra), Alex Otti (Abia), and Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), also reiterated the commitment of the Forum to forging a common socio-economic and security cooperation through a summit to be announced at a later date.
The Forum further declared that the perpetrators of insecurity and their sponsors in the region were mere criminals, who should not be dignified as legitimate agitators, but dealt with in line with the provisions of the law.
But answering questions from newsmen, Uzodimma, while dissociating the unrest in the region from Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, whom he said had since disowned the enforcers of sit-at-home and perpetrators of other crimes who were using his name to commit crime, said the governors of the region would continue to do everything within their powers to sustain the increasing peace and security presently being enjoyed by the Southeast.
“The Forum firmly resolved to fight insecurity decisively in the region individually and collectively, in partnership with the Federal Government and other Stakeholders. We commend the security agencies for their cooperation thus far and encourage them not to relent.
“We wish to state categorically that the perpetrators of the insecurity in our region and their sponsors are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators. Therefore, upon arrest, they should be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land. The Forum resolved to hold the security and economic summit on a date to be announced soon,” Uzodimma further read from the communique.
