The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) have opposed the security outfit inaugurated by the six Southeastern governors. Intersociety says it is ‘suspicious’, while IPOB believes it’s own Eastern Security Network (ESN) is more reliable.
But the Governors appear dead set on the Ebubeagu, and analysts say the fear of irrelevance is behind IPOB and Intersociety opposition.
“Both groups stand for crude Igbo irredentism, no matter their pretensions, but when employment starts, many of IPOB foot soldiers will gravitate toward the contraption of the Governors and that threatens them. Level-headed people will also go the way of Ebubeagu, because they do not want a monster, like Boko Haram, to emerge in the South-East. They are vehemently fighting it, with that intellectual wing called Inter,” Uchemadu Ogbonaya, an analyst of Southeastern Affairs said in Abuja.
In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, on Tuesday, IPOB said
“What a mockery the puppets have made of themselves in their usual quest to please their slave-masters.
“How can you launch a security outfit without first assembling the personnel and equipping them.
“When Amotekun was formed it was not abstract, the personnel and their equipment were handy.
“When our leader floated ESN, the men were on ground.
“How then did South East governors announce a security outfit without any personnel or were they under any pressure to hurriedly make the announcement after years of foot-dragging and deceit?
“However, whether or not they were under any influence, we want to remind them that there is no need for them to form another security outfit in our land since we have our formidable ESN.
“They woke up from their slumber rather too late.
“We have gone beyond that stage unless they are on a mission to sabotage ESN.”
Intersociety, on it’s part, said “Ebubeagu” is suspicious and Inoperable, adding that it was strongly suspicious of the panicky and hurried announcement of the new security outfit by the Southeast Governors Forum.
“Coming when all hopes have been lost from state actor angles, forcing most citizens of the Region to place their hopes, expectations and solutions on the table of non state actors; we are very surprised to hear the sudden announcement.
“Intersociety also doubts the sincerity and genuineness of the promoters of the new security outfit. It is doubtful, too, whether critical indigenous stakeholders and other interest groups were duly consulted and carried along. The new outfit is most likely a baptism name given to the 2019 illegitimate and unpopular “Community Policing” arrangement by the same Southeast Governors during which all the security chiefs that attended the meeting where the decision to use “Community Policing” to checkmate menaces of … Herdsmen in the Southeast Region were made up of officers of (a particular background).
“We therefore have strong reason to suspect and conclude that the Southeast Governors newly created security outfit, tagged “Ebubeagu Security Outfit” is a caliphate inspired counter measure to truncate or weaken non state actor arrangements including vigilant and vigilantism resort to legitimate self defense safeguards provided in Section 258 of the Criminal Code and Section 59-60 of the Penal Code,” Intersociety said in the statement by its principal officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Obianuju Igboeli, Esq., Chidimma Evan Udegbunam, Esq. and Samuel Kamanyaoku