Protesters… on Tuesday
The current wave of insecurity in the South-East has attracted the attention of youth leaders who on Tuesday embarked on protest against the Ebubeagu security outfit in Aba, Abia State.
Under the aegis of Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, the youths alleged the Ebubeagu outfit is a militia set up by some governors to annihilate Igbo youths.
“It is used by some South East Governors to kill our youths in their prime while leaving the real Fulani terrorists and Jihadists to be moving freely in our forests and bushes kidnapping our people, raping our women and killing our people at will,” they said.
According to The Punch, the protest which started from Faulks Road Aba, moved to Okigwe road, Azikiwe road, Asa road and ended at Aba-Owerri road.
“In Imo state, the protest will not stop until the Governor Hope Uzodinma resigns as governor of the state,” the protesters vowed.
Speaking, Goodluck Ibem, the President General of COSEYL said, “The Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway mainly the boundary between Abia and Imo state have been taken over by Fulani terrorists and kidnappers who kidnap our people on daily basis and nothing serious have been done to arrest these criminals committing such atrocities on Igbo soil.
“Ebubeagu killed 21 innocent youths returning from a traditional marriage in Awo Ommamma village in Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State accusing them of being bandits whereas the real criminals who are the Fulani Jihadists and terrorists are left unchecked in the zone.
“It is now a crime to be a youth in Imo State as our youths are now killed at random”.
COSEYL said, they are taking the protest to Imo State after Aba “because Governor Hope Uzodinma have committed so much crime against humanity with Ebubeagu security outfit.”
In its own version of the story, The Sun reports that youths from Abia and other parts of the South East trooped out in their numbers in Aba, the Abia State commercial capital, to protest the killing of innocent indigenes of the zone by the Ebubeagu Security Network.
The protest was coming on the heels of the alleged recent killings of indigenes of Imo and Ebonyi States by the operatives of the regional militia.
The protesters, who gathered under the aegis of Igbo Youths, numbering over 400, marched through Umule, Faulks, and Aba-Owerri, among other major roads in Aba, causing gridlock along some of the major roads as they protested.
The protesters carried placards some of which had inscriptions such as, “Ebubeagu: Stop killing in Igboland”, “Ebubeagu Stop Shedding Innocent Blood”, “Igboland is Bleeding”, and “End Ebubeagu Now”.
The protesters chanted different solidarity songs as they called for the disbandment of the militia.
According to the protesters, it has become imperative that governors of the southeast ban the operation of the Ebubeagu Security Network in their various states owing to the numerous bloodshed recorded in the southeast as a result of the activities of the security network.
The protesting youths also frowned at the activities of armed herdsmen in Abia State who according to them have been kidnapping innocent citizens at will and forcing them to part with huge sums as ransom.
It was gathered that the protesters were dispatched with teargas by a combined police team from the Aba Area Command and some of the special units from the Abia State Command.
Unconfirmed reports have it that some of the protesters were arrested by the police team.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Geoffrey Ogbonna, did not respond to several calls made to his mobile number.
However, a police source, who could not confirm the number of suspects in their custody, said the protesters were arrested for protesting without permission from the police.
