Governors of the five South-East states of Nigeria donated a whopping N12 billion to Federal security agencies operating in the region and also collaborated with them to suppress the rights of their aggrieved citizens, according to a prominent civil rights coalition.

The Southeast Based Coalition of Human Rights & Democracy Organizations (SBCHROs) made the accusation in an “Open Letter To Southeast Governors & Federal Legislators” dated 16th December, 2018, addressed to Governors William M. Obiano (Anambra); Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, PhD (Abia); Rochas Anayo Okorocha (Imo); Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu); Engineer Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); Barr Ike Ekweremadu (Deputy Senate President of Nigeria); Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Chairman of the Southeast Senate Caucus); Chukwuka Onyema (Chairman of the House of Reps Southeast Caucus); 15 Members of the Southeast Caucus in the Senate; and 43 Members of the House of Reps Southeast Caucus.

“The coalition also studied and found the role of the Southeast Governors and federal legislators from the Region; in the present ordeal of the Region and its People to be utterly despicable and condemnable. Had the said political office holders risen to the occasion, their constitutional responsibilities and social contract obligations to the People of the Region; these segregation, exclusion, persecution and militarisation of the Region and associated killings, maiming and property loss or destruction would not have been possible,” SBCHROs said in the open letter.

The group was reacting to research findings and a special report by the Int’l Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law (Intersociety), which found that “N12b was donated by the Southeast Governors to fund the military massacre operations in the Region between August 2015 and September 2017 and its aftermath covering past 40 months or August 2015 to December 2018”.

According to the report, “The staggering sum was donated to all federal security formations in the Region from the so called monthly “security votes of the Governors”, on average of N60m monthly by each of the five Southeast Governors.”

In the clear and unambiguous words of Intersociety, “The Southeast Governors further demonstrated unwillingness and inability to stop the massacre in their capacities as “Chief Security and Executive Officers” of their states. Governors William Obiano and Victor Okezie Ikpeazu of Anambra and Abia states were particularly and directly involved by planning, organising and funding the massacre operations in their states. Throughout the massacre operations till date, the Southeast Governors have kept a sealed lip and refused to speak or rise in condemnation or do anything or rehabilitate the victims of the massacre and their families. They watched by and said nothing when soldiers and police SARS operatives invaded hospitals where the shot and wounded were admitted for treatments and abducted them to unknown locations.

“The Southeast Governors also colluded with President Muhammadu Buhari and his office in unleashing military and police siege on the Region leading to disruption of economic activities and endangering of lives of the citizens of the Region. The rapacious militarization of the Southeast Region was done without putting into consideration the collective security, safety and welfare of the People of the Region. It was done in disguise to flood the Region with violent Fulani marauders and other violent citizens; thereby making the Region a “conquered territory” or a “Region under conquest or siege by an army of occupation”.

“By granting blanket and cowardly approval to militarisation of the Southeast Region including Army Python Dance exercises without resistance and rising in strong opposition to the imbalanced ethno-religious composition of those manning the commanding positions and rank and file of the military and police formations in the Region, the Governors of the Southeast have traded and sold off the security and safety of the Region.”

SBCHROs also aligned itself with Intersociety’s campaign for an Igbo police officer to succeed incumbent Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. It challenged the Southeast Governors and the federal legislators named above to publicly declare their stand on the issue. The relevant part of the letter reads:

“Appointment of Next Igbo IGP

“It is a must task for the Southeast Governors and the named Federal legislators including Deputy Senate President, Barr Ike Ekweremadu to have this inexcusably accomplished. For too long these public office holders appeared have to engaged in shedding crocodile tears or pretended to have joined the rest of the Region to cry out against exclusion, segregation and persecution of the People of Southeast and the Region particularly since June 2015.

“It is time for People of the Southeast Region to know whether these public office holders are with them or against them. This is more so when experts in security and political circles told the coalition recently that “once the named public office holders speak powerfully and with one voice in demanding for the appointment of next Igbo IGP from the Southeast Region, it will be an act of impossibility for the Buhari Administration to do otherwise especially now that Presidential Poll is around the corner and that the Administration is politically doomed if it does the opposite”.

“Therefore, the appointment of next Igbo IGP is both a test case for the Buhari Administration and the Southeast Governors and the principal Federal legislators from the Region including Deputy Senate President. In the event, a person from another Zone especially another Fulani-Hausa Muslim is appointed as next IGP, then the Buhari Administration and the Southeast Governors and the principal Federal legislators from the Region are doomed politically in the Region and among its People now and in future!

“By the account of Intersociety, there are still up to nineteen senior police officers of Igbo or Southeast extraction with two years and above left in the Force; among them, one can be made the next IGP. Top among those shortlisted by Intersociety for next IGP is 55yrs old DIG Peace Ibekwe-Abdallah (from Onitsha, Anambra State), who joined the NPF with appointment number AP25120 on 1st February 1986 and was born on 7th April 1963. She will retire from the NPF on 1st February 2021.

“Intersociety named others, majorly drawn from the list of serving ACPs and DCPs as (2) Boniface K. Onyeabor-AP25096 (Enugu State)-retires on 1st February 2021, (3) Celestine Okoye-AP25102(Anambra State)-retires on 22nd December 2020, (4) Cyril I. Okoro-AP25065 (Imo State)-retires on 11th November 2020, (5) John Ogbonnaya Amadi-AP36551 (Ebonyi State)-retires on 10th June 2023, (6) Okoli C. Michael (Imo State)-retires on 25th August 2021, (7) Ngozi Vivian Onadeko-AP30491 (Imo State)-retires on 15th March 2023, (8) Joe Nwachukwu Enweonwu-AP30426(Anambra State)-retires on 6th June 2022, (9) Joseph O. Egbunike-AP30427(Anambra State)-retires on 15th March 2022, (10) Edward Chuka Egbuka-AP30486(Imo State)-retires on 15th March 2023 and (11) Josephine Ogechi Nna-AP30487(Imo State)-retires on 5th June 2022.

“The rest are (12) Josephine Nneka Anyansiti-AP36535 (Anambra State)-retires on 3rd March 2022, (13) Bernard Chukwuma Ugwu-AP30430 (Enugu State)-retires on 10th August 2022, (14) Arungwa Nwazue Udo-AP36630 (Abia State)-retires on 3rd March 2015, (15) Charles Ifeatu Mozie-AP36502 (Anambra State)-retires on 2nd July 2023, (16) Ndubuisi Nwanedo-AP30489 (Imo State)-retires on 26th November 2022, (17) Ambrose Sunny Onah-AP36541(Enugu State)-retires on 20th June 2024, (18) Bartholomew Nnam Onyeka-AP36769 (Imo State)-retires on 3rd March 2023 and (19) Ndu Innocent M. Anene-AP36547(Anambra State)-retires on 3rd January 2024.

“Apart from one of the above named 19 senior Igbo police officers under recommendation to be picked as the next IGP, the rest must be elevated to CP, AIG and DIG positions to fill the Southeast vacancies unjustly created. The Southeast Governors and the principal federal legislators from the Region must take further steps to ensure that more Igbo Police officers are promoted into ASP, DSP, SP, CSP, ACP, DCP and CP ranks and positions.

“As a matter of fact, the Southeast Governors and named Southeast federal legislators must call or demand for “junior” and “senior” staff lists of the Army, SSS, NIA, Navy, Air Force and all the paramilitary formations in the country and have them thoroughly investigated to ensure that the Southeast Region is justly represented in their enlistment, promotion and postings or duty assignments.”

Apart from Intersociety, other SBCHROs members that signed the open letter are CLO, Southeast Zone; CLO, Anambra State Branch; Forum for Promotion of National Ethos & Values (FPNEV); Igbo Ekunie Initiative; Int’l Solidarity for Peace & Human Rights Initiative (ISPHRI); Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Dev (FENRAD); Society for Economic Rights & Social Justice (SERSj); Human Rights Organization of Nigeria (HRON); Center for Human Rights & Peace Advocacy (CHRPA); Southeast Good Governance Forum (SEGGF); Society Watch & Advocacy Project (of Intersociety)-WASP; Initiative for Ideal Dev & Emancipatory Leadership in Nigeria (IDEAL); Igbo National Council (INC); Anambra Human Rights Forum (ANHRF); Voice of the Voiceless Int’l (VOVI); Easy Life Initiative for Rural Youths (ELIRY); Igbo Bu Igbo Organization; Community Empowerment Network; and Southeast Movement against Transactional Politics & Profligacy.