Africa-Press – Nigeria. A group from the Southeast region, under the umbrella of the Igbo National Council (INC), has called on all communities in the region to set up formidable security networks to ward off any external security threats.
The call, according to the group, became imperative in view of the recently circulating rumour alleging the influx of youths suspected to be jihadist militias into some states in the Southeast region.
In a press statement issued from the office of its President, Godsent Chilos, the INC urged Igbo community leaders to immediately convene security summits to deliberate and set up vigilante groups in their respective domains, in line with what it described as a long-standing practice of Igbo traditional norms.
The group particularly called on leaders of some communities in Imo State—especially Nekede, Ihiagwa, Naze, Agbala, Ulakwo and others—to immediately set up Joint Community Transport and Security Committees to carry out the screening of commercial motorcyclists operating in their communities.
According to the press statement, the Joint Transport and Security Committee will, among other responsibilities, compel all commercial motorcycle operators (okada riders) in their communities to start wearing identifiable uniforms for easy recognition.
The move, according to the release, will help communities and the public track the nefarious activities of criminal elements hiding under the guise of okada riders to commit crimes.
“INC also encourages these Community Joint Transport and Security Taskforces to carry out periodic combing of suspected hideouts in their communities, including twenty-four-hour surveillance that will help track suspicious movements in their respective areas.
“Finally, we are calling on the Imo State Commissioner of Police and the Imo State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) to immediately deploy their tactical teams to locations suspected to be hotspots in the state,” the release added.
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