By NDUBUISI ANDY, Abakiliki
The Chairman, South East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi, has declared that no amount of blackmail from detractors would make South East leaders support any engagement likely to lead to another Civil War.
Umahi made the declaration on Thursday during the inauguration of the Ebonyi State Community Policing Committee and the State Community Policing Advisory Committee in Abakaliki, the state capital.
The Governor was obviously reacting to recent bashing of the leaders from the leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
The IPOB leadership had allegedly taunted the Igbo political leaders for being lackadaisical in handling security issues affecting the zone, maintaining that the leaders had failed the people.Umahi, in his address at the event, noted that the South East Governors and other well meaning leaders cannot be pushed under any circumstance to engage in senseless battle, which would endanger the life and general well-being of the Igbo people..
He maintained that rather than sponsor any engagement likely to result to another war, the leaders would channel the available resources towards bettering the lots of the people economically and otherwise, which, according to him, was the essence of leadership.
Umahi’ said: “Some people posted their regional security outfit, where they did a very beautiful outfit and wore. “And somebody from South East posted to us that this is where leadership is working, that there are no leaders in South East.
“Let me assure our people that there is no amount of blackmail or social media war against the leadership of South East that will ginger us to go to senseless war.
“Some of those who fought the Civil War are still alive and when they talk, they talk differently”.
“We have no reason to engage differently. So, it is for the South East to come together and use the little resources that have and do charity begins at home.”
The Governor commended the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for accepting the community policing initiative, which, he noted, was an already existing customary means of crime control in the zone.
He described the initiative as the civilians affair, adding that the incorporation of security agencies in the committee was for them to play supervisory roles.
According to him, the Advisory Committee was to be Co-chaired by the State Chairman of the Traditional rulers Council, Eze Charles Mkpuma, and the State Commissioner of Police, Phillip Maku, while that of the Community Policing Committee was to be chaired by the Council Chairman in all the Council areas.
