In a bid to checkmate prevalent open parade of firearms in Anambra State, the Special Adviser to Governor Charles Soludo on Community Security, Prince Kenneth Emeakayi, recently announced the ban on local vigilante groups. In this interview with OKEY MADUFORO, Chief Emeakayi expatiates on this

What was the essence of this security stakeholders meeting held recently?

Yes, it has become instructive that we call for this all-important meeting on the account of so many people wearing security uniforms and bearing guns about, claiming to be operatives of one private security outfit or the other in the state. At some point, we did not know who is who and who is giving them instructions or who is in charge of them.

Go to most hotels or big supermarkets in Anambra State and you will see young men bearing pomp action rifles, wearing one security uniform or the other with names that cannot be verified.

We have had incidents of accidental discharges by these cloned security operatives, and when you get to the root of the matter, you will discover that they are working for one security outfit that is not known to the Anambra State government.

Same is the case with the local or community vigilante groups and even at the village level and they all claim to be security operatives. So, we had to come in as a government to know who owns these security outfits and to find out their operational motives.

You can agree with me that someone can get killed by his enemies or those in land disputes and the story would be that he is a criminal, and he was gunned down by the local vigilante groups while trying to escape and that ends the matter.

So how does government come into the picture?

To start with, the Anambra State government has proscribed all the community or local vigilante groups in the name of Anambra Vigilante Services (AVS) or Anambra Vigilante Groups (AVG).

Before now, we had the Anambra Vigilante Services AVS with the enabling laws by the State House of Assembly and they operated at the 21 local government area of the state But in line with the Section 7 of the Homeland Security Laws the Anambra Vigilante Services AVS or Anambra Vigilante Groups AVG has been proscribed and what we have now is the Agunechemba Security Squad.

The Agunechemba Security Squad is part of the Udo Ga Chi Security Operations which includes the Police, Army, Civil Defence, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Immigration, Customs, the Directorate Of State Security (DSS), among others.

The AVG or AVS has been disbanded due to the repeal of the law that established it, and anyone found to continue to operate under the defunct architecture would face the law.

So, part of the agenda of this meeting is aimed to enhancing internal security cooperation throughout Anambra State and better align and coordinate the activities of private security firms within the framework of the state’s Homeland Security structure.

You also had in attendance the private security operators at the meeting?

Yes, they were invited to the meeting for a discussion because we have too many of them operating in the state. Like I said before, virtually every plaza or shopping center in Anambra state has a private security outfit manning the place so we want to know who they are because they are operating in state.

To this end, we have set up a Joint Screening Committee that includes security professionals from the Police, the DSS, and the NSCDC to evaluate private security operators seeking registration with Agunechemba and the Police.

The screening process has started since last week and private security firms must document and confirm their registration, bringing all employed personnel for thorough vetting.

From there we can easily identify and verify who they are and bear in mind that all guns being carried by one security operative must be registered with the Agunechemba Security Squad and the Anambra Police Command.

We must know the number of guns, those entrusted with those guns in line with the numbers of the specific guns and the name of the bearer for proper identification and documentation.

Again, that you employed a new security staff and handed him a gun whose number was registered in the name of a former staff is illegal, because once there is a change of guards engaging the new operative, the Police and Agunechemba should be informed officially and we effect the necessary changes.In the event of something unlawful happening the name attached to the gun would be held liable even though he is no longer with your outfit.

So that is the essence of the screening exercise, and we are not taking it lightly and theses are part of ways to monitor the influx of fire arms into Anambra state.

That may be too cumbersome for them in view of the number of such bodies in Anambra State?

We know, but this is all in the interest of the people of Anambra State and the security of lives and property. The death of one person is irredeemable and nothing would make the victim come back to life.

So, it is better we go through this once again for all to save the lives of innocent people than to lose a life because the process of cumbersome.

To make it easier, we have offices of the Agunechemba Security at the 21 local government areas of the state as well as the Divisional Police Headquaters with the Divisional Police Officers DPOs there.

So, you can go and register there and also provide same to the Joint Committee and what you have at the local government level is what you have at the state level.

You talk more about the private security operatives how about the Agunechemba Security Squad with its own challenges?

Still on the same issue. The meeting also had in attendance some operatives of the Agunechemba Security Squad, that is their leaders.

It was a meeting that is not to hand down orders to them but for them also to share ideas and experience in the line of duty.

One cannot say that we do not have issues as a body but what we have been doing is training and retraining of our personnel. We have zero tolerance for irresponsibility and unethical conduct by our operatives and they are made to face the law.

It is even more punitive on the part of our operatives because they know the law and the red line and they also know the grave consequences. Agunechemba Security Squad is the baby of Governor Charles Soludo and he doesn’t play with it.

So, anything that would dent the image of Agunechemba Security Squad is not taken lightly because a lot of people in the opposition are praying for it to fail, so that it would be a tool for negative campaign against the government. So, for any of our own to allow himself to be used or discharge his duties in such a manner that suggests that would not be sparred.

What roles are being played by Agunechemba Security Squad in protesting our major markets since the end of the Sit-At-Home Order?

I must first of all congratulate Mr. Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, for being the architect that led to the Sit-At-Home Order. This now has multiplayer effects in all the states in the South-East and we are returning to normalcy here in Igboland.

For us as a security body we are on top of the moment because the traders complained that their lives are not safe due to the activities of these miscreants who force them to stay at home.

That goes to raise moral questions about the internal security at the Onitsha main market and other major markets in Anambra State.

Does it mean that the security operatives in those markets have compromised or what? This is more of an indictment on the security operatives in those markets though Mr. Governor is already addressing it and would come up with something to cheer about.

At our major markets we have to beef up security in those places and you know that we do not have Anambra Vigilante Groups or Services anymore in the state.

So, the Vigilante Groups are being absorbed into the Agunechemba Security Squad after due diligence and in line with the laws of the state.

So, we want to assure our traders and business men and women that our Monday markets are safe and that you are free to come into Anambra and do business without any fear or worries at all.

The best thing that happened to us in Anambra State and the entire South-East is the end of the sit at home order and that is to the credit of Mr. Governor Prof Charles Soludo.

Also, we thank our traders for having fate in the government of Anambra State in that regard and we promise that our markets will continue to remain safe and the businesses of our people would continue to be protected at all times.