South East Governors Forum (SEGF) rose from a meeting, held at the Government House, Enugu, with a resolve to quickly embark on joint efforts to flush out bandits from all nooks and crannies of all the forests within the southeast zone.
Addressing newsmen shortly after the first part of their meeting on Saturday, Chairman of SEGF, and Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi said that Governors had banned herdsmen who move about in the southeast zone with AK47 guns and cutlasses.
They called on security agencies to ensure proper implementation of the ban. He said the Governors restated their agreement on collective operations to flush out bandits from all forests in the southeast and make it a continuous programme, stressing that they also agreed to put in place “measures to restrain movements of herdsmen and their cattle from one state to the other which is a source and point of conflict with the natives and farmers, and also restrain the movements of cattle and herdsmen from going into communities across farm lands.”
Umahi said that the Governors would like to write to President Muhammadu Buhari to request for a crucial meeting with him alongside all the “Service Chiefs of Security to douse tension in the southeast zone.”
On Operation Python Dance which was launched in the South East, the forum said they had no hand in the activities or operation of the military campaign as being alleged by IPOB.