Ebube Agu - The Eastern Security Network. Can The Lion Roar?

Ebube Agu - The  Eastern  Security Network. Can The Lion Roar? 

By

Chief Oby Ndukwe 

Since the recent attacks unleashed in parts of the Igbo-speaking areas of the Old Eastern region of Nigeria, there has been suspicion, allegations and counter allegations by those who ought to have held in trust the security of the lives and properties of the people.

Rather than a clear revelation of the remote causes of the serial killings and destruction of Police Stations, the media has been awash with discordant tunes of the Governors of the affected States, the Security Agencies and even the Media.

Recently, two APC controlled states- Imo and Ebonyi States have come under heavy bombardment resulting in scores of death, jailbreaks and direct attacks on Police Stations again, a reenactment of the wanton destruction during the infamous End SARS protest that rocked Nigeria, recently.

I have wanted to dwell on not the cause of this unexpected crisis in the East since I dealt with it in my last article on the Conspiracy against the Igbos towards the race to 2023. I have chosen to look at the work ability or feasibility of the newly inaugurated region security network by the Governors of the Five South East states code named 'Ebube Agu' Security Network. EbubeAgu for short reflects the Glory or the Awe of the Lion, which is the King of the jungle, who wastes no time in protecting its territorial integrity and does not tolerate any form of threat around its subjects. It was on this premise that these Governors alongside some other leaders of the region decide to set up a security network in the form and manner of the Lion King.
But will this invisible lion roar again to scare away the marauding attackers and the suspected infiltrators of forests around Igbo land? This actually got me thinking, even when I tried not to join the band of critics who have continued to discredit the decision of the Governors even while the pregnancy is still at infancy.

Timing was of essence in setting up a territorial security network, and I am one of the voices of dissent who have knocked the Chief Security Officers of the Igbo States for trailing behind their South West counterpart several months after the inauguration of Amotekun, a similar security outfit for that region. Was anybody thinking that the East would be spared while the West burns? It was a pointer for any Intelligence to make contingent arrangements early enough in order to stem the tide of the coming storm, which has invaded the East like a thief in the night.

While I do not totally lose faith in the expected success of Ebube Agu, I am  wont to differ with the propagates of this idea on grounds that the chequered Nigerian Constitution has a provision for Security Votes for Governors of each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. These Security Votes which run into Billions of Naira, depending on the allocation to the state is one of the failures of our democracy as no one can question the Governors and even the Local Government Chairmen on the judicious use of the funds. Generally, it has over time, become free funds for those who are meant to be the Chief Security Officers of the States, yet, Security remains on the exclusive list of the Federal Government. The conflict occasioned by a hurriedly put together 1999 Constitution has further made it impossible for the State Governors to accept full responsibility for the security of lives and properties in their domain.

How much of these funds have been employed in states where the challenges in security have been enormous? Is there a way of checks and balances to ascertain if someone has deliberately failed to secure his borders while preferring to secure his treasury loaded with billions of dollars, meant to fight insecurity?
Is it possible for the Lion to take charge of his territory while he ignores the sights and sounds of a coming enemy?

The issue at hand requires more than rhetoric if the States of the East amongst others would not fall again to the superior firepower of these invaders. This is not a time for the gathering of leaders that would end in a jamboree, rather, there ought to be a systematic approach in dealing with the present realities of external aggressors, desperate politicians and even organized crime gangs, pretending to be fighting a just cause.

While the modus operandi of the proposed 'Lion Dance' is not yet clear, one thing that will convince and restore the credibility of the Governors is a declaration of the amounts so far received as security votes, and a clear explanation of how they have been employed over the years, particularly for those who have spent more than a tenure of four years in office. I am certain just like most Igbos would be, that, the sum total of this allocation is sufficient to procure a proper security outfit like the C4i which was used by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi to rid Rivers State of criminal elements during his 8-year tenure as Governor. It ought to be a template for every Governor who is sincere in securing his territory. Remember, even the Lion does not move alone. It moves in groups known as 'Pride'. An Israeli trained C4i model with local vigilantes will definitely bring to an end insecurity in the East, if the threat is local.
While I agree that there may be invading herdsmen from neighboring countries, I am quick to dismiss the assertions by some people and groups that stranger elements from the North can access the forests and bushes in the East to unleash mayhem of unqualified proportions without the aid of local collaborators who understand the terrain and the pathways better.
In all of these, the Ebube Agu Security Network may die a premature death on the pages of Newspapers and the airwaves due to sabotage by some forces who have continued to benefit from a crisis situation. It will become stillbirth if proper funding is not made to acquire the necessary wherewithal needed to fight insecurity. We are all witnesses to the continuous rape of funds allocated for the fight against insurgency by those saddled with the responsibility, exposing the men of the Nigerian Army and Police to attacks, resulting in deaths of the fighting men of war.

I will not condemn the effort of the Governors of the South East, but I will only commend them when I see a committed set of leaders who will put aside political differences and selfish ambition and lay bare the huge allocations for security in order to secure their territory. That is the only time the true nature of the Lion, the Ebube Agu will be brought to bear.

I rest my case for a season to see what happens in the next couple of weeks