July 27 2024 | State Media The Eastern Security Network (ESN) was created by the Leader of Indigenous people of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kan...
July 27 2024 | State Media
The Eastern Security Network (ESN) was created by the Leader of Indigenous people of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in 2020. He launched the Security Network to curb insecurity in the entire Southeast which at that period was under serious attacks by Terrorists Fulani herdsmen and bandits from the Sahel. There were steady killings and raping of famers in their farmlands.
These terrorists grazed their Cattles in farms and towns, destroying agricultural produce and properties. There were many instances where communities were attacked and houses set ablaze without provocation. Cost of food escalated as a result of these criminal elements.
While all these crimes were going on, the southeast Governors and Legislators turned the other way and did nothing. Several vigilante groups tried to fight back but they were not well armed to challenge the bandits. The Nigeria Police and Soldiers did nothing to protect the hapless masses. Rather they seemed to support the bandits.
The bloodbath and destruction of properties became so unbearable as communities were fleeing from their ancestral lands for fear of being hacked down. While the people fled to Internally displaced people's Camp, the terrorists were occupying their ancestral homes.
As the southeast Governors stood aloof, their counterparts from the Southwest and North created their regional security networks. The southwest launched Amotekun whereas the North formed Arewa to secure Lives and properties of the indigenous people from the marauding Terrorist Fulani herdsmen.
At this point the Leader of Indigenous people of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kanu wrote all the Southeast Governors advising them to launch a security network like their counterparts. Unfortunately, they ignored his advice. He wrote them a second time and warned that if nothing was done to stop the bloodbath, he was going to launch a security network to operate strictly in the forest areas and farmlands.
Sadly, after a long period of about six months of nearly daily attacks, nothing was done to protect the poor masses. The Governors dared him to try and form a security network. Without any further delay, he announced for youth volunteers and commenced their training. To the excitement of the masses, hundreds of thousands of Volunteers made themselves available for the all-important work.
Expectedly on the 12th day of December 2020 Mazi Nnamdi Kanu officially launched the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and commissioned them to sack all the terrorist’s herders from the farmlands and forests of the entire Southeast region, spanning across the South-South and Igbo speaking parts of Benue state.
The launching of this volunteer security came as a rude shock to the Federal Government and Southeast Governors. They held a meeting, agreed to move in with full force and decimate the entire security.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma was the first to swing into action. He applied for combined team of the Nigeria Police and Military to Imo State. He deployed them to comb out and kill every ESN member in all the farmlands and forests in Orlu senatorial zone. The first day of that mission was bloody. There was avoidable bloodbath and since then, the fight has not stopped till date. Other states joined in war against the ESN.
At a point, the Southeast Governors formed a counter Security Network called Ebube Agu, with sole duty to attack and kill members of the Eastern Security Network. This government sponsored terror group became worse than the dreaded Fulani terrorists. They broke into people's homes abducts and kill any male found in the house.
They turned into kidnappers and collected ransom from relatives of their victims. They burned down hundreds of houses suspected to belong to a member of ESN or IPOB. They became lords above the law. Their atrocities became so much that they were dragged to the courts. They were banned from further existence after they were indicted in several extra judicial killings and burning down of houses and properties people.
Assessment of the performances of the Eastern Security Network after three full years of continuous counter attacks by the Nigeria State is commendable. They have succeeded to check the menace of the herders to a barest minimum. The number of attacks on indigenous people and destruction of their farms has not been as rampant as it used to be.
Till date, we can only be grateful to the courageous and indefatigable leader of Indigenous people of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kanu for the timely intervention which saved thousands of lives and retention of the ancestral lands of the people of Southeast Nigeria.
Despite the fact that thousands of this volunteer security have been killed in the bushes, the ones that are still alive are resilient and fighting the terrorists head-on, while the masses have returned back to their farms and those in ID camps have since returned to their homes.
Written by:
Fafa Maintain
For: Abia State Media
Edited by:
Chidi Ibe
For: Abia State Media
Published by:
Chibuike Nebeokike
For: Abia State Media
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