SOUTH EAST TO ESTABLISH FOREST GUARDS TO COUNTER FULANI HERDSMEN TERRORISTS-NEWTELEGRAPH

…foreclose land for RUGA

The South-East Governors Forum yesterday resolved to establish Forest Guards in each state of the zone as part of efforts to address security challenges, including herders and farmers clashes. The group said that the move was in line with Federal Government’s Community Policing programme.

Rising from the first post 2019 general election meeting, the governors stated that after a review of the security situation in the zone and in response to emerging security challenges, they further decided to set up both a Committee and a Centre for South East Integrated Security Monitoring/Intelligence Gathering to be centrally located in Enugu.

A communiqué read by the Chairman of the Forum and Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, said that the governors reinstated their rejection of Ruga settlement in the zone, even as they resolved to pull resources together to support to fund any farmer or investor from the zone ready to go into Cassava, cow rearing, piggery, goat rearing, poultry, fishery and other cash crops permitted by the soil within the zone.

“That the Forum would key into the Federal Government’s Community Policing programme and that Forest Guards would be established in each state and roads cleared up to 50 meters into the bush to have a clear view of roads ahead.

“On the issue of RUGA, the Forum maintains its earlier decision that there is no land in South East for RUGA programme,” the communiqué noted.