Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has disclosed the real reason behind the creation of Ebube Agu security outfit for the South-East region.
Uzodinma in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku, said the security outfit is not an alternative to the police, army and other federal government established security outfits.
According to the former lawmaker, Ebube Agu is “a local outfit meant to gather information on criminal activities and give to the security operatives for proper processing and action.”
He identified youth unemployment and ethnic mistrust as the main root of criminality in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.
The statement identified Uzodinma as saying “his Government is working assiduously to resuscitate the state moribund industries in Imo by entering into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a seasoned private consulting firm, for the purpose of providing jobs for the Imo teeming youths to keep them away from crime.
“On the birth of security outfit for the South-East Geo-political zone codenamed EBUBEAGU, the Governor informed that it is not an alternative to the established security agencies such as Police, Army, Air Force, Navy, NSCDC, etc, but a local outfit meant to gather information on criminal activities and give to the security operatives for proper processing and action.
“They are to play complimentary roles on the efforts of the Federal Government and Security Agencies, knowing full well that a threat to security anywhere in the country is a threat to security everywhere in the country.
“Governor Uzodimma used the occasion to reiterate his stand that the security breaches in the South-East recently do not in anyway suggest that Ndigbo are tired of been in Nigeria. Rather, all we want is justice, equity and fairness in a big Nigeria family.”