The Enugu State government has expressed its willingness to collaborate with traditional rulers in the fight against insecurity and other forms of criminality in the state.

This was even as the state government said it had slated February 13, 2025 for the launch of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund, ESSTF, aimed at mobilizing resources in cash and kind from both the public and private corporate organisations, as well as well-meaning individuals, to strengthen security in the state.

These were made known by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund, Dr Ike Chioke during a stakeholders consultative meeting with the State Traditional Rulers Council, at the House of Chiefs Chamber, Enugu State House of Assembly Complex, Enugu, Wednesday.

Chioke said the board considered it appropriate to engage and sensitize the monarchs about the objectives of the Fund, urging them to key into the project and assist the government in fighting criminality in their respective communities.

Stressing that security is everyone’s business, Chioke called for the buy-in of the generality of the people, pointing out that the ambitious vision of the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, to grow the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031 may be difficult to achieve unless everyone works together to address insecurity in the state.

According to him, the Board of Trustees was stepping up its engagement and enlightenment efforts to ensure that key stakeholders were aware of the Fund’s objectives prior to its launch.