South-East Governors, Wake Up: The Time for a United Security Front is Now

The Storm is Here, But Our Leaders Sleep

The tragic incident in Uromi, Edo State, where local vigilantes took matters into their own hands against suspected terrorists, has reopened an uncomfortable but urgent question: What is the South-East doing to protect itself?

While we all condemn extrajudicial killings in any form, we must not allow selective outrage to blind us to the deeper issues. Vigilantes acted because the state failed. A people abandoned will always find a way to survive.

The Yoruba Are Ready. What About Us?

The South-West has shown foresight. Amotekun, local intelligence, political unity, whether one likes them or not, the Yorubas have decided to protect their own. They understand what is unfolding across Nigeria and have chosen not to wait for permission before acting.

But what about the South-East?

Where is our unified security framework?
Where is Ebubeagu? A name only on paper.
Where is the joint task force across our five states?
Where is the leadership?

Instead of collaboration, we see competition, ego, and silence. Governors more loyal to Abuja than to their ancestral lands. Some even appear to aid and abet these violent infiltrators, offering them cover in exchange for political favours.

The Uromi Incident: More Than Meets the Eye

Retired General Cesi Esekhaigbe spoke on Channels TV, confirming that hardened kidnappers, using commercial trucks (including Dangote trucks) were trafficking victims and weapons northward.

Locals had had enough. When one suspect allegedly stabbed a vigilante officer during a routine check, it triggered an emotional, deadly reaction. Reports say they were carrying millions in cash (suspected ransom) and AK-47 rifles. These are not ordinary “hunters.”

The same pattern repeats across the South:

Owan West: Peter Ogedengbe was slaughtered for feeding cassava to his goats.

Akoko-Edo, Ovia, Etsako: Women, children, farmers butchered.

Enugu & Ebonyi forests: Now teeming with strange armed men.

Yet we hear no condemnation from the “Defence Chiefs.” We see no action from our own governors. And when the people fight back, suddenly Abuja finds its voice.

Selective Outrage Is Not Justice

Where was the national outcry when:

Deborah was lynched in Sokoto for alleged blasphemy?

A street preacher was murdered in Abuja?

Entire villages were erased in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna?

Why does the government turn a blind eye when Fulani herdsmen kill, but shout “jungle justice” when communities defend themselves?

And who will hold Asari Dokubo accountable for boasting about extrajudicial killings in Imo and Anambra with military backing? Or are some lives worth more than others?

This Is a Call to Action

We must now speak the truth with clarity:

Our forests are being taken.

Our people are being hunted.

Our leaders are compromised.

Our unity is our only chance.

The time for waiting is over. If the South-East governors will not act, the people must.

This is not a call to violence, it is a call to survival.
To community self-defence, vigilance, and solidarity.
To sounding the alarm until the deaf finally hear.

History Will Not Be Kind

The day is coming when future generations will ask:

“What did our leaders do while our land was being taken?”

And sadly, the answer may be: “Nothing.”

Unless things change now.

The ego and disunity among South-East governors must end.
The loyalty to Abuja politics must stop.
The fear of offending the caliphate must be replaced with the courage to defend your homeland.

Let it be known:
If the government fails to protect us,
We will protect ourselves, any way we can.

Enough is enough. Igbo ga-ebi. Ndigbo must live.

By Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
Political Analyst, Advocate for Regional Security, and Publisher at Oblong Media Unlimited