Monarchs stage walkout as IGP meets with south-east governors

Some traditional rulers in the south-east walked out of a meeting Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police (IGP), held with governors of the south-east in Enugu on Wednesday.

The governors who attended the meeting are Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Willie Obiano (Anambra) and the host, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu.

Hope Uzodinma, governor of Imo state, was represented by Placid Njoku, his deputy.

Also in attendance was Abdulrahaman Ahmad, commissioner of police, in Enugu.

The IGP is in the state for the south-east security summit.

The monarchs and Okezie Nwodo, John Nwodo, president-general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, staged a walkout after the government officials went into a private meeting with the IGP.

The aggrieved individuals said it was unfair for the governors and the IGP to have kept them waiting without any information.

Prior to the walkout, Emmanuel Chukwuma, archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical province and bishop of Enugu diocese of Anglican Communion, had addressed the audience.

Chukwuma, in his speech, said it was unfair for the governors of the zone to treat them with contempt, adding that such would not happen elsewhere.

Among the issues the governors are expected to discuss with the IGP is the security outfit in the region.

Last month, Umahi, who is chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, announced that the region has formed its regional security outfit.

Speaking while hosting Lasisi Adegboye, general officer commanding 82 division of the Nigerian army, in Abakaliki, Ebonyi capital, the governor said the forum has written to the federal government on the outfit.

“Every region has their own peculiarities and we have formed our own joint security task force and we have written to the federal government and we are putting things together because we had a joint meeting with all the service chiefs and the then GOC,” Umahi had said.

“No one will say that he will not be part of joint security because when people are kidnapped for example in Anambra State, they could be found in Ebonyi.

“So, we need that synergy to work together to give protection to everybody and here in Ebonyi, we are among the first in the federation to start our law on internal security and that is the Neighbourhood Watch and they have fantastically done very well.”

The south-east governors established the outfit after their south-west counterparts floated Amotekun, also a regional security outfit.