The United Igbo Elders Forum, an Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has called on Southeast governors to evolve a collective approach to tackling rising insecurity in the zone.
The group made the call during a meeting in Awka, Anambra State, on Friday, in a joint statement signed by Alpha Ikpeama and Harford Ugwu, coordinator and secretary respectively.
The statement blamed the near lack of coordination among the Southeast governors for the insecurity in the area.
According to them, the concept of Community Vigilance Groups, should be revived and reinvigorated in the five states of the region, to complement the efforts of the Federal Government.
The group noted that strengthening of the community vigilance groups would assist in information and intelligence gathering, noting that this would go a long way to arresting incidents of insecurity in the zone.
Read also: Pervasive insecurity and existential risk in Nigeria
“We advocate for the effectuation of vigilance groups in all villages and communities in the Southeast.
“This would help in the aspect of information and intelligence gathering and would also help in assisting the South east governors in the fight against insecurity.
“We also urge the governors in South east to work as a body and create the much-needed unity, as chief security officers of the geopolitical zone, to save our land from the sustained insurgency in the area,” it stated.
The statement noted that the body had set up a seven-man committee headed by a former governor of Enugu State, Okwesilieze Nwodo, to ensure the unification of Igbos, by working with the Ohaneze Ndigbo, in the battle against insecurity.
