Magnus Eze and Geoffery Anyanwu, Enugu
Enlarged stakeholders’ meeting of South East Governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other political, religious and traditional leaders as well as representatives of youth bodies, rose, last night, with a resolution to float #EndSARS victims’ support fund.
They also vowed to resist further killings and destruction of property in the zone.
The meeting was on the heels the security challenges posed by the recent protest by youths which turned violent in parts of the country especially the South East.
Several lives had been lost in the mindless destruction levied on the region by hoodlums. Over 25 police stations/divisions and many other public and private infrastructures had been destroyed in Enugu, Aba, Abakaliki, Onitsha, Ogidi and Nnewi among other places.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of commercial banks were also vandalised and cash looted by the hoodlums.
But the meeting, which had some National Assembly members, Ministers from the zone and some former governors in attendance condemned the orgy of violence and carnage witnessed in the region.
A communique after the meetng sympathized with the families of people who lost their lives including security agencies.
The stakeholders said they identified with the plight of the youths of the region and that the Governments would work assiduously to meet their demands.
The communique read: “We sympathise with all the victims families including the police and other security agencies including all those who lost their properties in the recent disturbances that followed the #EndSARS agitations.
“The South East will engage our youths to ensure a sustainable peace in the southeast and a glorious future for our children
“Each state in the Southeast will set up fund to assist the victims of the crisis, including the police , the army and toner security agencies as well as civilians. That state governors are committed to addressing the concerns of our young people that are peculiar to various states and will engage the federal government and their colleagues in other states to address the other issues that are national
“We advise all our youths that while our governors are working hard to meet their demands, the destruction of public and private properties and killing of security agents and civilians will never be allowed to continue. We therefore direct all Igbos, both in and outside Nigeria, to go about their businesses and should not participate in all form of unlawful protest and criminality.