‘Revert to our agreement’ — south-east govs differ with IGP on community policing

The South-east Governors Forum has asked Mohammed Adamu, inspector-general of police, to stick with their initial agreement on community policing in the region.

On February 12, the governors met with the IGP at the south-east security summit in Enugu state.

The meeting was held two weeks after the region formed its regional security outfit.

In a communique issued at the end of the forum’s meeting on Sunday, the governors expressed disappointment over alleged changes to the community policing agreement they reached with the IGP.

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi who read the communique, said recent communication from Adamu showed a change in the practice and composition of community policing for the region.

He said the governors have asked the state houses of assembly in the region to commence the enactment of state security laws that will give legal backing to the establishment of a regional security outfit in line with its joint security programme for the zone.

“The recent communication from the Inspector General of Police to our Governors on community Policing composition is not in keeping with the agreement we reached with him during his last visit to the South East,” the communique read.

“In the circumstance, we cannot begin implementation of it until the programme reflects our earlier agreement. The South East Governors and their leaders request the IGP to revert to our initial agreement reached on community policing at Enugu.

“The forum agreed that all South East States Houses of Assembly should commence the process of enacting the state security laws in line with the South East joint security programme.”

The creation of a joint security outfit in the south-east region came less than a month after governors in the south-west launched Amotekun, a regional security outfit.

But the federal government reached an agreement with south-west governors on a legal framework for Amotekun.