Ohanaeze renews agitation for additional state for S’East , state police
*Raises alarm over herdsmen attacks in S’East
By Steve Oko
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo , has renewed its call for additional state for the South East geopolitical zone to bring it at par with other zones.
While other zones have six states each except North West with seven states, South East has only five states.
Despite calls by several individuals and groups including recommendations by previous constitutional conferences for a parity state for the South East zone, the federal government has remained adamant.
This is as the apex Igbo body has raised the alarm over unprovoked genocidal killings in some communities by herdsmen .
Ohanaeze in a press statement issued on Monday by its Spokesman, Mr. Chucks Ibegbu, said the first step to address the perennial marginalisation against the Igbo is to quickly create additional state for the zone.
Ohanaeze further argued that creation of additional local government areas in the South East ” will be an interim measure to
address the acute marginalisation of the zone in the country.”
According to Ohanaeze, South East loses more than a trillion Naira yearly for having
the least number of states and LGAs in the country and least opportunities at the centre.
On the killings by armed Fulani herdsmen
in Igbo land and other parts of the country, Ohanaeze blamed the federal government for its inability to rise to the occasion.
Ohanaeze accused the federal government of double standard for failing to designate the killer herdsmen terrorists while it was quick to proscribe a non violent pro-Biafran group after branding it a terrorist organization.
The apex Igbo group expressed shock that despite atrocities by armed herdsmen which are becoming a daily occurrence in many states of the country, the federal government is yet to tackle them decisively.
Ohanaeze, therefore called for the creation of state police as the only solution to worsening security challenges in the country.
It also urged communities to
organise themselves and form vigilante groups to protect themselves
and people from the invaders.
Ohanaeze tasked South East governors on the protection of lives and property of people of the zone, saying that no excuses can be admitted for failure.
End
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