Before ex militant and agitator Asari Dukubo openly confessed to being in charge of security in Imo, you hardly could believe such was possible. This was because from ex Gov Achike Udenwa, down to Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, Imo state vigilante outfits were manned by indigenes of the state from top to bottom . The operatives were usually recruited from the various autonomous communities of the state, by Ndi Eze and town unions and trained by government and sent back as government recognized and paid local vigilante.
When Gov Uzodinma took over the expectation was that he was going to toe that the same path . However, starting from early to mid 2021, people began to wonder if the Uzodinma vigilante was really manned by locals. Their concerns and questions stemmed from the emerging notorious way the operatives were going about their task. They were going about unleashing destruction and mayhem in the state, leaving blood, tears and gnashing of teeth in their wake.
The Ebubeagu outfit as is well known came about as a response to rising insecurity. It was floated to tackle the challenge which government claimed IPOB/ESN was orchestrating. Imo people embraced the idea knowing insecurity is an ill wind that blows no one any good. But, they had thought Ebubeagu was going to work strictly in line with the laws of the land. In security as in other human activities, there are rules of engagement which conventional and unconventional groups engaged in security of lives and property work in tandem with. So, it was believed the Ebubeagu would subject itself to those rules.
But, regrettably after take off the operatives went berserk. They started invading Communities and villages, mainly in Orlu Zone of the state. On the heels of every invasion came gory tales of killing, maiming, burning of houses and other properties and lamentations of those affected. Slowly and steadily, the frequency, intensity and scope of the destruction and bloodletting kept widening, and soon reached alarming crescendo. And that gave rise to massive public outrage and outcry.
It was at the height of that seeming madness, that the rumour linking Asari Dukubo to Ebubeagu made the rounds. But it quickly fizzled out as it was perceived in many quarters as unfounded and baseless. How can a man from Rivers State be in charge of Imo local vigilante outfit? That was the question many, including myself who, heard that rumour asked.
You can now imagine the great shock i felt recently when i heard directly from Dukubo himself that he is in charge of securing Imo, and eight other states of the country.
Asari was a guest of president Bola Tinubu in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. When visitors come to the villa journalists covering the beat normally engaged them to know why they visited. So when Dukubo came the media interviewed him. And as if he knew ahead of time that such encounter will take place and prepared well he wasted no time in launching into a long tirade He focused more on security and raised several issues. But, two stood out. They were his open accusation against the military of being behind oil theft, and provision of security to nine states in the country. Imo, Abia and Anambra were among the nine states he mentioned.
The revelation was a bombshell. It left many in great shock and stirred a controversy which, dust is yet to settle till today. Nigerians perceive Dukubo’s revelation as a serious embarrassment to the country, because it seems a believable confirmation of the subsisting claim in many quarters that, Nigeria is a failed state. Experts in security tell us that when a state wilfully or as a result of incompetence hands over it’s constitutional duties of protection of lives and property to non state actors, then that state failed woefully.
But, as Nigerians continue to dissect and analyze the issues as they relate to country, Imo people are busy trying to find out why Gov Hope Uzodinma did what seems the unthinkable by outsourcing an otherwise local business and handing same to a dyed in the wool enemy. As i said before vigilante business in Imo used to be a local activity, and that was perfectly okay because security like politics is local. But, Gov Hope Uzodinma for reasons best known to him, felt it should be contracted out and so, jettisoned the old system. And he opted for the ex militant as his contractor.
It’s possible the governor chose that path with the best of intentions for his state. Perhaps, security experts around him put forward the proposition and he bought it thinking it would proffer effective solution to the challenge.
Of course taking into account the fact that insecurity is a societal cancer which everyone is susceptible to, it’s likely the people themselves may not have worried too much about who the security contractor is or is not, as long as they are getting value for money. What stirred up the interest of Imolites in the trending interview of Asari Dukubo was his public admission that he is in charge of security of their state.
In view of prevailing circumstances of today, that submission is not only terrifying and perplexing but also seriously annoying. Any wonder it has rise to a frenzy of reactions, one of which is the demand being made on Gov Uzodinma to tell them why he handed over their security to a man whose hate for them could well be described as legendary.
Asari Dukubo is not only a staunch and unrepentant Igbo hater; he has used every available opportunity to openly confess to that consuming hate. And even more disturbing is his constant expression of readiness to wipe them out if he gets the chance. Who will say he or she didn’t see how that unimaginable hate practically oozed out of every action and word the man uttered in his recent viral video, in which he brandished guns against the Igbo, and mocked them for being murdered as he put it “woto woto”
Dukubos’s well documented anti Igbo antecedents to say the least, makes him the most unqualified individual that should be entrusted with even the most insignificant Igbo concern, not to talk of a life and death issue like security. Where in the world do people entrust their sheep and goats into the care of lions and tigers?
As we speak, the average Imo man or woman will tell you that insecurity has deteriorated dangerously under the present government. But, as we should expect, government officials and APC members have always disputed the claim. Facts, however, don’t lie. As at today the facts and figures in the public domain lend credence to the former claim. Last May precisely on May 21, 2023, a reputable civil society organization, Intersociety released a mind boggling report on Imo insecurity in which it made many disquieting revelations. The group said between January 2021 and May 2023, a period of 29 months, security forces and allied militias killed 900 unarmed citizens, wounded 700, arbitrarily arrested and detained 3500, extorted 1,400, disappeared 300, burned down 1,200 houses, displaced their 30, 000 owners and forced 500,000 to flee to escape being shot and killed. This is in addition to the 700 murdered by armed non state actors like Fulani Herdsmen who also abducted 900.
In demonstration of deep seated anger over the seeming genocidal campaign Intersociety took further step, by dragging Gov Uzodinma and thirty one other retired or serving security chiefs to the International Criminal Court, ICC for investigation and prosecution. It has also followed that up with another petition to 29 world leaders on June 12, 2023.
It’s said when a witch cries in the night and a child dies in the morning, it’s easy to establish correlation between the two happenings. Can Dukubo as the non state actor in charge of Imo security wash his hands off the genocidal picture as painted by the CSO? Except apologists of the APC government, every sincere Imo man will tell you that the state has become a theatre of war. This suggests that those engaged in securing law abiding citizens and their businesses, are now fighting them and equally doing that with impunity.
You may hear the governor’s followers argue that he may not have known that Asari Dukubo harbours flaming hate for the Igbo. Assuming that may have been true, now that his most recent toxic vitriol against Igbo has completely blown the lid off that emotion the governor must do the needful immediately. Asari Dukubo should be sacked and investigated alongside all other operatives and agencies intervening in Imo security. And if prima facie case is established against them after the probe, they should be prosecuted and punished accordingly.
For four years now Gov Uzodinma has kept sealed lips on the unprecedented mayhem that has become daily occurrence in the state. Those around him should tell him that this is one of the moments in which silence is not golden.
It’s either he talks and acts now, or be ready to bear posterity’s judgement on this highly regrettable security misadventure alone.