Ebubeagu: How politicians are fabricating insecurity in southeast

Juliana Francis

A worried Nigerian, Sam Amadi, has taken to the social media to complain and fret about the wanton killings going on in the southeast, allegedly being perpetrated by Ebubeagu, seeing such acts as human rights violations and a pointer to the collapse of the criminal justice system.

It will be recalled that Ebubeagu is a creation of the southeast governors, and it was created to check the killings and lawlessness in southeast allegedly being carried out by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).

Amadi, who is a lawyer and Political Science Teacher, is also a human rights activist and the former director of National Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Narrowing his concern to violent crimes in Imo State, Amadi expressed fear that Ebubeagu, an organisation which had not been legalised by any law, is now a tool being used by politicians in southeast to attack their opponents. He urged Nigerians, especially those residing at the southeast axis, not to trust politicians, but to protect themselves from violent crimes.

He wrote: “There are so many violent crimes in our society today. So criminals and their sponsors are not just free but enabled by state institutions to commit more and more crimes. The people, that is the citizens who are not in power, and not rich to buy protection and justice for themselves, are exposed to endless risks and ruins.

 

“This is what is playing out in Imo State. Everyday, there are allegations of killings in circumstances that suggest political ‘enablement,’ either by ruling authority, opposition or other political movements and formations. As we build up to 2023 and close to what will be a civil war over who gets political power in the state, we should be really afraid that violent crimes may become the social disorder.

“I had a telephone call with a respected civil society voice in Imo State who told me that he was shot by Ebubeagu operatives on his way to Anambra. He said Ebubeagu operatives are now those shooting people and burning houses of political opponents of the government. I was alarmed and surprised. I had read a report that Ebubeagu is responsible for wanton killings in Imo State. I shut the argument down because it is illogical for an outfit set up by eastern governments to protect the people to become a vehicle to destroy the people. It is not believable.

“But I think I am the one who was not rational in that context. Is there anything disoriented politicians cannot misuse and turn against the people? To make his case, the civil rights activist informed me that there is no formal instrument or official structure for Ebubeagu in Imo State. No law has been enacted to legalize the operations and no formal accountability structure for Ebubeagu. It is just there as a militarized outfit to be deployed according to political conveniences. The story is the same in some Southeast states. In Ebonyi State, opposition alleges that Ebubeagu is a military squad for the governor. Already many killings have been reported and no conclusive security report on them.

“We run a big risks that politicians are fabricating severe state of insecurity in the southeast for political reasons. If it is true that IPOB has sworn to deal with the killing Ebubeagu operatives, then you might have a sprawling killing field in the horizon in the southeast. We should take these auguries seriously before we descend to a dangerous zone of terror and counter terror. Journalists in the zone should investigate the formation, management and operations of Ebubeagu in the southeast. We need this clarity to be sure we are not being set up for bloodbaths. Don’t trust what politicians say. Let’s protect ourselves from violent crimes.”