BY VICTOR NWEGEDE
The South East Governors' Forum, Wednesday, expressed readiness to fight against drug abuse especially the trending methamphetamine, known as mkpuru-miri in Igbo dialect.
This was contained in a statement issued by the South East governors which was endorsed by their Chairman and the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, after their emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Umahi in the statement said the forum assured of more commitment in fighting against drug abuse and other social vices in the South East region.
"We resolved to be very committed in our fight against hard drugs in our region especially the new one called Methamphetamine, locally known in South East as Mkpurumiri.
"We have decided that all shops and locations where any hard drug is sold will be forfeited to the State Government and all those promoting the trade or indulging in hard drug shall be seriously isolated to face the law," Umahi said.
He also stated that "rehabilitation of those misled into hard drug is also ongoing," urging community leaders to give secret phone calls through the special numbers offered by the governors on security and hard drug.
The Forum, according to him, also condemned in strong terms the video clip and write-up in some social and print media where two policemen were said to have been killed and their heads cut-off by youths who styled themselves as members of IPOB/ESN.
He said that the governors have resolved to work with the security agencies to determine the authenticity of this video/report and if found to be true, to apprehend the perpetrators by all possible means to face the law.
He added: "We are aware of similar videos in the past and which when subjected to forensic review were found out to have happened outside Nigeria. We assure Nigerians especially the Police community that we will not rest until we have done justice to this matter."
The governors thanked all the youths for the relative peace they enjoyed in South East now and pledged to be committed to their welfare.
The forum urged those who were misled to carry arms against South East people and security agencies to surrender their arms to the governors and get rehabilitated back to the society.
"We warn all criminals who have styled themselves as IPOB/ESN to kill our people to immediately stop.
"We are aware that the insecurity and killings in South East have gone beyond IPOB/ESN as any criminal finds it easy to hide under such a name to commit crimes.
"We are determined to do everything to protect the lives and properties of our people. Our youths are advised to leverage on the various empowerment and agricultural programmes by our Governors to better their lives," the forum said.
On the issue of agitation by the youths, Umahi said that the governors are reviewing the work of Ohaneze Ndigbo committees on this matter and will soon call a larger stakeholders’ meeting to address such, saying that "all issues relating to the agitation and its fallout are better settled politically and on a negotiation table.
The forum therefore, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his consideration of a political solution to the problem, saying that he has demonstrated that he is a good father who listens to his children and urged South East people to resume their Monday businesses, while assuring them of adequate security.
