Why South-East Governors Must Partner with Town Unions to Tackle Insecurity – ASITU

“The South-East governors should partner with the town unions to get security rightly in their various states. They should not play politics with it but must be sincere in dealing with the situation head-on if they want to tackle the problem,” the Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU) has said, urging for collaboration to address rising insecurity in the region.

ASITU emphasized that town unions, deeply entrenched at the grassroots, are best positioned to develop and implement effective security strategies. National President Chief Emeka Diwe noted, “We have stated severally that any security strategy that does not integrate the peculiar nature of the people in its operations will not work. It is only a locally developed and modernized security system that incorporates the ubiquitous town unions that will reduce the incidence of insecurity in the South-East region.”

The association also linked much of the unrest, including sit-at-home orders and agitation for Biafra, to the prolonged detention of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. “We have also said it loud and clear that most of the insecurity… is attributed to the continued detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. This is why we said that the federal government should release him to us and then reassess the security situations in the South-East. It will not cost them anything to do so,” Diwe added.

ASITU reiterated its call for governors to prioritize sincere and non-political collaborations with town unions, warning that superficial measures would fail to address the region’s security challenges.