We Did Not Engage ESN To Combat Herdsmen-Abia Govt

Abia State Government has denied engaging the Eastern Security Network, ESN, to combat herdsmen and protect farmers in the state.

It stated that the state government has confidence in the security agencies and could not have engaged non-state actors to combat insecurity.

Special Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, who made the denial, disclosed that a blogger had alleged that the Governor had approved the involvement of ESN to confront Fulani herdsmen and protect farmers following the continued inaction of Nigerian security forces.

The Special Adviser disclosed that the post was intended to create disaffection and cause unnecessary tension in the state.

He said, “It’s important to state that the above statement is false, malicious and misleading, and has nothing to do with the Abia state government led by Governor Alex Otti. The post is intended to create disaffection and cause unnecessary tension in the state.

“The authors of the statement had issued a similar fake statement a few weeks ago, but we intentionally ignored them. However, we feel it has become necessary for the government to respond to the latest statement so that innocent and unsuspecting members of the public will not fall prey to such a dubious fabrication.

“For the records, the Abia State government, under the leadership of Dr Alex Otti, could not have contemplated embracing the services of non-state actors to fight criminals and insecurity of any kind in any part of the state.

“The state government’s confidence in our various security agencies led to the establishment of the state’s joint security taskforce codenamed “Operation Crush”. The joint task force has recorded tremendous success in the entire state and has kept the state safe and secure, in spite of skeletal cases of armed robbery and kidnapping, which the government is working assiduously to eliminate.

“Those who have decided to play dirty politics by inciting fear and violence against the state and its citizens, not minding the danger they pose to the lives and properties of Abians, should know that their actions will attract severe consequences whenever they are caught.”

The statement urged state residents to ignore the false statement and see it as another move by desperate enemies of the state to present it in a bad light.