As part of steps to unravel the roots, multiple dimensions, and consequences of insecurity in the Southeast, and proffer appropriate recommendations to holistically address insecurity, a Special Report on Insecurity in the Southeast was on Wednesday launched in Enugu.
The report titled ‘Unveiling the Roots of Insecurity, Healing the Wounds of Human Rights Violations in Southeast Nigeria: A Path towards Peace, Open Democratic Space and a Prosperous Future’, was published by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC in partnership with Action Group on Free Civic Space (AGFCS).
The report was a sequel to the various stakeholders convening and brainstorming on insecurity in the South-East, facilitated by RULAAC and its partners, including the Institute for Development Studies, Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria.
It was borne out of the need to address the narrative challenge regarding the nature, roots, and consequences of insecurity and to influence appropriate and informed government approaches in responding to insecurity in the South East.
In an address, the Executive Director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma said the RULAAC has been on the frontline of efforts at mobilizing stakeholders’ joint action to push back against the security-related drivers of shrinking civic space in the region.
Speaking on the report, the RULAAC boss lamented the increasing control of the media by the state governments in the region, especially the Governors of Imo and Ebonyi States, as well as the absence of strong political opposition and a weakened civil society, which allows the government and security agencies to control the narratives and conceal their abuses.
He said while RULAAC acknowledges that pro-Biafra agitation and insurgency are significant contributors to insecurity in the Southeast, attributing the problem solely to these factors paints an incomplete picture.
He said “A lasting solution demands acknowledging the intricate web of additional forces fueling the flames of violence. One of the additional factors fueling the cycle of violence, as documented in this report, is the federal government’s single-minded brute force and counterproductive approach to fighting insecurity in the zone.
“This report, produced and printed with financial support from Ford Foundation, is intended to drive the true narrative about the nature, roots, patterns, dimensions, and the effects of current government’s approach to tackling insecurity in the South East.
“I do hope that this report will contribute to the effort to unravel the roots, nature, multiple dimensions, and consequences of insecurity and the appropriate measures to holistically address insecurity and the attendant human rights violation, particularly, the impact of insecurity on the civic and democratic space.
“The people of the South-East desire and deserve an environment where the people and residents live in peace, safety, freedom and prosperity.”
The Chairman of the event, Prof Okey Ibeanu, observed that documenting such well-researched experiences becomes timely and useful, not just to the journalists, academia, and educationists in understanding the rights violation cases, but also exposes many anecdotes and grounds them in concrete evidence-based on sound knowledge and thinking around those issues.
He suggested that the report should suffice for the identification and investigation of specific violations to publish them in specific reports.
“It is in doing this, that the specific details of the violations can be brought to the fore, alongside their implications and I hope that this will be the first step that will lead to more in-depth reports on each of the cases so that the events will be thoroughly mirrored to avoid future occurrence,” he said.
In a goodwill message, Dr Chichi Aniagolu, West African Regional Director, Ford Foundation acknowledged that the security situation in the Southeast has implications for political development, agriculture, the economy, and other critical sectors of the Southeast, noting that examining the situation and bringing the issues to the fore will help pave the way for a more progressive region.
In their separate remarks, Mr Damian Ugwu of the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, and a panel discussant at the event, Stanley Ibe advocated the use of the report as a galvanizing tool to begin to tackle key issues of insecurity in the region
