EASTERN SECURITY NETWORK (ESN) AND ITS PUBLIC ENEMIES

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By Mikar Ojokoro, Esq.

The panacea to our security challenges in the Eastern Region and beyond is a public good that benefits all and sundry.

However, we have Eastern Nigeria  public enemies who think they can deceive us by describing the public good – our security issues solution as “laughable” when they lack what to say, and when the public good is not from them. 

In governance of the former Eastern Region of Nigeria, our first public enemies are the Governors in this former Region. 

Surprisingly, in spite of the selfish, deceptive objections against Eastern Security Network by the political stooges which we have today as Eastern States Governors,  ESN continues to receive local and international supports with the latest coming strongly from Global Igbo Alliance – a conglomeration of all Igbo associations and socio-cultural groups across the Globe. 

Certainly, the yearning of the people of the former Eastern Region to live freely is demonstrated in their support toward Eastern Security Network which is indeed the accurate response to the level of insecurity in that region, therefore it is necessary to rally behind Eastern Security Network. 

All the faceless rented individuals  issuing reckless and ill-informed statements be you the compromised Governors, politicians, others and their apologists who are attempting to sabotage the newly formed Eastern Security Network for their own selfish interests are fighting a losing battle and shall be held responsible for the killings and abductions which have been going on in the former Eastern Nigeria for years.

No person ever objected to the formation of Hisbah Vigilante Group in Northern Nigeria which has been operating in Northern Nigeria since the year 2000. 

Since the imminent fall of Nigeria, there have been other vigilante groups being set up to help combat terrorism and other criminal activities across respective regions in Nigeria, even Myetti Allah parades as a vigilante group.

With the deterioration of security in Nigeria including the recruitment of terrorists into the Nigeria military no place is safe in Nigeria any more.  

When Nigerian Government of General Buhari recruits terrorists into the Nigeria Army, the resultant effect is harassment, killings and abductions of innocent Nigerians by the Nigerian Armed Forces. These happen at any slightest provocation while the main terrorists – Fulani Herdsmen, the Boko Haram, the Bandits, ISWAP etc and their supporters are moving around with impunity and their heinous crimes and activities being promoted by the government of the day.  

Albeit other numerous state sponsored senseless killings in the past, the most recent Killings of innocent Nigerian youths who were lawfully protesting at Lekki Tollgate during Endsars national mass protest are there for everyone to see. 

The worst state sponsored killings were in River State, where Governor Nyesom nWike saw the EndSars national mass protest as an opportunity to hatch his long-nursed interest and to advance his political ambition by killing Igbo people in Obigbo, River State to please his northern masters. 

The records of how Governor Nyesome nWike of River state ordered the massacre, abduction, torture, dehumanised hundreds of Obigbo residents of River State in the name of “looking for Ipob members” are there for everyone to see, yet the main terrorists remain untouched across Nigeria. 

Nyesome nWike and his masters are going about with impunity, to the extent the so-called Igbo leaders and political class shamelessly paid nWike (the seriously accused murderer) a solidarity visit at the weeping expenses of the blood of their innocent daughters and sons who were murdered in cold blood by Governor Nyesome nWike and his Northern masters.  

Governor nWike is an Igbo man, regardless of how he embarrasses himself in denial and must know that it is very natural that the blood of the innocents he has spilled speak and shall independently avenge. This is as natural as land and it is just a matter of time. Anyone who is in doubt should go to hail and ask Mr Ken Saro Wiwa how did the market go? Nature must not fail to mess up with he who betrays or spills his neighbour’s blood either now or in future. 

For many years now it has been okay by the government of Nigeria if Fulani herdsmen terrorists kill you, or if Nigerian police who are in most cases fulani extorts monies from you brutalize or kill you and sometimes harvest your organs for business or rituals, but the moment innocent people protest against this levels of brutality, military is ordered  to shoot, kill or maim you. 

Even when Igbo people are not demonstrating their rights to protest against injustice, Igbos are often tagged terrorists, shot and killed by this Buhari regime, while the main terror groups remain as untouchable as sacred cows.

For some time now in the Eastern Nigeria and the Western part of Nigeria, our mothers can no longer safely go to farms without being raped, killed and butchered by Fulani Herdsmen. 

Our fathers and brothers can no longer go to farms without being maimed or killed. 

Our daughters and sisters can no longer walk freely alone in their neighbourhood or go to the streams without being raped and killed by Fulani herdsmen. All these happen while the Nigerian police and its military counterpart look away and, in most instances will be aiding and abetting the terrorists to commit these heinous crimes with impunity.

In the Western Nigerian, the great Amotekun was formed. Just like Amotekun was welcomed in the Western part of Nigeria as an important needed developmental response to the level of insecurity in the West,  the people of Eastern Region welcome the setting up of Eastern Security Network to help protect the Eastern Nigeria and its environs which have been left without a genuine protection by the  government and political class. 

It has become necessary to defend ourselves because the Nigerian police and the Nigerian Army do not protect us and would not defend us.  

The Governors we voted for care less about us, and  would rather protect themselves, their immediate family but would recklessly use us, then have their positions compromised at our own risks for their own respective political advancements. 

This is how and why all the Eastern State Governors and their predecessors have for over many years been playing politics with our people’s lives by being recklessly reluctant to come together to form a security outfit that would help protect lives and property of the people in the Eastern part of Nigeria.  

It was the absence of responsible governments and expected leadership at all levels in the whole of former Eastern Nigeria that created a deplorable vacuum which led to the creation of Eastern Security Network by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to help protect lives and property in the region whose security have stinkingly fallen into abysmal.  

It has been cautioned  by Barclay Ekeh that:

 “Our Leaders in the Eastern Nigeria and those aspiring to be in leadership, – be it cultural or political must declare their stand in relation to the newly formed Eastern Security Network for it is no longer enough to be quiet or  parade impressive curriculum vitae with all the paraphernalia and appendages of academic excellence with distinguished public or private career, rather leadership is much more dynamic and complex than it can ordinarily be defined by a singular verb”.

In Mazi Nnamdi Kanu such Great sterling leadership quality was born and found. And you cannot wish this away because it is not you, neither would your personal aversion towards Nnamdi Kanu change this truth.. 

Eastern Security Network is courageously/ firmly welcomed and supported by all right-thinking, peace-loving individuals and groups in the region and beyond.  

As many lives have been lost in the region due to poor security in the region or lack of it. The immediate take off of Eastern Security Network has been the much-needed panacea against the region’s security challenges. Just like in the case of Amotekun in the West, the laws to back up ESN shall come later. 

This is what the people of the former Eastern Region want. 

The people are the power. 

The Governors in the region must serve the wishes and WILL of the people who put them in power.  Power belongs to the people, not to their Governors.

Concerns about safety and security in Nigeria have been substantially alarming by the day. The former Nigerian Minister of Defence – General T Y Danjuma has consistently warned that “we  all will die one by one should we wait for Nigeria Armed Forces to protect or defend us”. General T Y Danjuma confirmed that “the terrorists in Nigeria are colluding with the Nigerian Armed Forces in the killing of innocent Nigerians”. 

A few days ago, former President of Nigerian Dr Matthew Olusegun Obasanjo continued to warn that the “security in Nigerian has deteriorated” and that “Boko Haram is now more in action than before and stronger today militarily than they have ever been”. 

This means that no one can safely guard against well-armed Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram terrorists with sticks, ordinary den guns and marchetti. 

President Obasanjo has also recently confirmed that “Boko Haram is being empowered by Nigerian government to the tune of millions of dollars and has advised that those who are being threatened by Buhari`s Nigerian Government should stand firm”. 

Standing firm includes defending ourselves and not to be deluded with lies that Nigerian government and its security forces are going to protect and defend you from the terrorists. We must defend ourselves because self-defence is part of the local laws in Nigeria and also part of international law.  

The Eastern Security Network set up by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has come to stay. It is a formidable vigilante volunteer organization that would guard against terrorism and other criminal activities in the region and its environs. The people of eastern region welcome ESN, support it and fund it as they now feel safe in their beloved region.  

Visitors and people from other regions or states are now able to come and go safely or live in  Eastern Region safely doing lawful activities protected and free from harassment by any criminal element.  

With the formation of Eastern Security Network, it is hoped that the jobs of the few seriously minded good police officers in the region would be easier.  

It is worth our reading times to note that those who do not want Eastern Security Network are individuals with criminal intent and they must face the wrath of the people, the wrath of law and the wrath of God, whether they are the Governors, de-royalled fathers, or their apologists. 

And it does also not matter whether they are in the North, in the West, in the East or living in Diaspora. Those are the terrorists and the criminals who implied or implicitly hide behind all pretexts and every ploy to sabotage ESN and to have our people in the Eastern Region living in fear and remain terrorized in perpetuity.  To them we say we ‘no go agree’.

The recent “…laughable” comment attributed to Governor Devil Umahi of Ebonyi state regarding  ESN shows that Eastern states Governors have been intentionally making fun and laughters with the security challenges in the Eastern Region and effectively not giving it the seriousness it deserves.  .  

It also shows that the Governors in the East are the real “laughables”. Unfortunately, these “laughables” are the ones laughing and making fun out of our security challenges and have no courage regarding how to respond to those challenges. The resultant effect of  lack of courage to do the right thing is at the peril of our people. 

Let the Eastern state Governors continue to laugh. Remember, those who laugh first shall not always laugh best!!

* Mikar Ojokoro is a Human & Indegenous Rights Activist

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