From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

Hon. Declan Emelumba is the Imo State commissioner for Information and strategy. 

In this interview with Sunday Sun, he talked about the security situation in Imo, the landmark projects, as well as what the people of the state will expect from Governor Hope Uzodimma before his tenure elapses. Excerpt:

So far, can you say that state government is winning the war against insecurity in Imo? 

Imo is relatively safer than it was five or six months ago, no doubt except for some few kidnapping here and there, of course, necessitated by development and, of course, the recent incident at Orogwe in Owerri West Local Government Area. 

We learnt there is Ebubeagu security outfit in your state, how has it been helping in fighting crime? 

Ebubeagu is actually known as the Imo State Security Network, it’s a vigilante group and it’s working in synergy with the security agencies, it’s a product of the law, and by that law, it does not allow them to carry sophisticated weapon, anybody accusing Ebubeagu of anything is making a big mistake, they don’t have the capacity to do the kind of things they are imagining, but one of the major points of our own Ebubeagu is that it serves as intelligent gathering for the security agencies particularly in the rural areas, where most of these criminals terrorising the state are domiciled, because they are from that area. It easy for them to get information, integrate with the security agencies there and they go and burst it, so that is why it has been very effective and efficient, it’s a very harmonious group that has been combating crime in the state. 

But they’re being accused of being used by the state government to witchunt their political opponents? 

Can you tell me one of them that have come out to say so, they’re even the ones harassing the state government, saying all manner of lies, like Uche Onyeagucha, for instance, when Ozisa FM was closed, he accused the state government of being behind it, which is not true because NBC explained what happened, but he was such in a hurry to accuse the state government, telling lies, have you seen anybody harassing him in the name of Ebubeagu? When Nonso Nkwa claimed that security surrounded his house, without investigation, he issued a statement that it was Uzodimma that sent them, you will find out that there was even nothing like that happened because if the security wants to pick Nonso Nkwa they don’t need to do all those things, is he a militia with arm, they will just invite him, like they did before, there was a time they invited him and he was afraid to go, but somebody volunteered to go with him, any reasonable person will know that the man was raising a false alarm, but Uche Onyeagucha issued a statement without finding out, saying it was the state government. So, anybody saying the state government is using Ebubeagu to intimidate its political opponents, it’s not true. 

Related News

Still on Ebubeagu, can you use this opportunity to tell us exactly what transpired on the alleged killing of 14 youths from Awomama by Ebubeagu? 

We have said enough on that, but for the purposes of emphasis let me explain, security agents on a tip off got information, they learnt that a group of people normally meet somewhere at Awomama at a camp where they plan how to enforce sit-at-home on Mondays, they meet on Sundays to plan, the man who was supposed to be part of them, but now in the custody of the DSS, took them to the camp and immediately the sighted the security agencies, they opened fire on them and in the course, some casualties were recorded, some people have been claiming these are people returning from a wedding, if you observe that Awomama has always been a hot spot every Monday, security officers wanted to burst that, they had information and they went there, when they sighted the officials, they opened fire, that’s the official report from government which we believe and that’s the truth, they had to return the fire and in the process, there were casualties, there is another account by some people, who claimed that these were people coming back from a wedding, some people went as far as saying it was Ebubeagu that went to the wedding and started shooting, they didn’t even say they were coming from a wedding, they said Ebubeagu just went to the wedding and started shooting them. There are some salient points you should consider: one, even the man who claimed to have been wedded admitted somewhere in his video that when these people left the supposed wedding, they said they were going to a meeting, it is very possible that these people who had gone for the wedding might have gone to the meeting after the wedding, as we talk we have seen the groom appeared on television, but we have not seen the bride, a wedding can’t take place without the bride, I’m not disputing that there was no wedding, but if those who have made effort to interview the groom, why didn’t he ask him about the bride or say at least say congratulations to your wife or probably take picture with the bride and groom, so that’s what is casting doubt into that story. Secondly, if the Ebubeagu targeted those coming back from the wedding ceremony, how come they are only young men, are weddings attended by only young men, weddings particularly traditional are attended by the old, young and girls. So, why didn’t the bullet hit the old ones or at least get wounded while they are running? There was no such record. Why is this wedding attended by only young men, why is it also at that particular location where some people meet to plan to enforce sit-at-home? And moreover, in that video that “Network” who took the DSS to the camp said he saw the dead ones and identified them as their members, if he who is their member can say that, why would somebody else say otherwise? By the way, I want to say that the government in any way is not saying people should be happy or celebrating that people were killed, because we are talking of blood of human beings here, may be their intention was to go there and round them up but since they opened fire on them, they had no choice than to defend themselves. 

We have seen the governor’s passion for road construction and recently his feat in the resuscitating of the moribund Standard Shoe Company, what more are we expecting from him? 

Yes, the Standard Shoe Company recovered from AMCON is a good signpost of this government’s determination to revive moribund industries. As you know, the company was indebted to over N1 billion, that was why AMCON took it over. I’m happy that the MD of AMCON who was present during the handover said they have asked previous administrations to make effort to recover the company, but they failed. It was only Senator Hope Uzodimma that was able to listen to them and in less than three years it was recovered, that’s a big plus for the government because it will now be revived and it will offer employment opportunities to a good number of people. It’s clear point of government to revive moribund industries. Adapalm is there, the next in line is the Avutu Poultry farm which the government is already negotiating with the original Israeli that built it, including the ceramic industry, this government is determined to revive them and boost the economy of the state. 

We are aware of the government’s efforts in constructing roads, is there any plan to extend it to the rural areas? 

What Governor Hope Uzodimma has been able to achieve in road projects in less than three years, his predecessors put together have not been able to do since 1999. He has been able to permanently fix the Owerri/Orlu road; Udenwa and Okorocha’s administrations tried to patch it, but it didn’t work. If you pass that Njaba bridge that was the biggest challenge in terms of erosion, you wouldn’t believe it, you will think you’re in Europe, the same with the Owerri/Okigwe road, now he’s adding two more, Owerri to Mbaise-Umuahia road and the one leading to Owerri-Mgbe to Uga; it’s four roads, the first two have been completed awaiting commissioning while the other two would be completed before his tenure and by the time he has done that he would have left a record of changing the landscape of Imo through road infrastructure in just one tenure. So, this four roads are not concentrated in Owerri because the Orlu/Owerri road is not for the metropolis, it traverses all the rural areas until it gets to Orlu, the cost of that road is more than what he has done in Owerri. So, anybody saying he’s concentrating in Owerri is not getting the point. He is  also doing 5 kilometers roads in each of the 27 local government, that has already commenced, that is also not Owerri alone. But having said that we must admit that Owerri is the capital of the state and the face of the state, those coming in to do business first passes here. I’m happy that they are even saying that he is concentrating in Owerri, that means they are appreciating his efforts and that is good. Those coming into Imo now will see the difference, and he still wants to do more. 

What is the current state of the 27 structures built in each council area of the state by Rochas Okorocha’s administration as hospitals? 

First of all, you know anything about Okorocha’s structure is a suspect because you have to do an integrity test to be sure that it’s habitable, look at the IICC, it has collapsed, is it the new police headquarters, which they did integrity test and found out that it’s not habitable, that was why they could not move in there, every thing there is substandard, so the government will not be in a hurry to determine what to do with it. Secondly, you called them hospitals, but look at the locations where they are built, he built them on the road so that  people passing would be clapping for him, it should have been closer to where the communities will assess them, but look at the nearest road, he built them there like the one he gave to the Navy, that one is almost on the road, so when the government finally takes decision on what to do with them, it might not be necessarily hospitals again.