As insecurity and rural underdevelopment continue to challenge communities across Nigeria, stakeholders in Enugu State have called for pragmatic, constitutionally-backed security reforms and intensified grassroots development initiatives. This consensus was reached during a special edition of the Freedom Square programme, aired on Solid 100.9 FM on Saturday, 21st June 2025, which focused on community policing and rural development in Enugu State.
The programme, held in commemoration of the National Association of Seadogs, Pyrates Confraternity’s annual Feast of Barracuda, brought together prominent personalities, including the Executive Chairman of Igboeze South Local Government Area and Deputy Chairman of ALGON Enugu State, Barr. Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze; the Chairman, Enugu State Council of Presidents-General of Town Unions, Chief Arinze Ogbodo; and Barr. Chukwudi Nyia, a legal practitioner. The stakeholders deliberated on actionable strategies for tackling insecurity, particularly at the grassroots, and aligning rural infrastructure development with Governor Peter Mbah’s administration’s policies.
Speaking on the issue, Barr. Ukwueze stressed the urgency of a security architecture that is both community-led and government-supported.
“Security is of paramount importance, especially in a state like Enugu with 260 electoral wards. As Deputy ALGON Chairman, it is clear that the statutory function of local government chairmen is to bring governance closer to the people, and Governor Mbah has made this possible through projects like smart green schools, Type II health centres, and rural access roads.”
He further revealed plans for rural electrification, solar lighting, and water borehole projects, noting that “we are replicating what the state government is doing at the residual level, opening up hinterlands, linking markets, and dislodging criminals from their hideouts.”
On the persistent security threats in Isi-Uzo and Uzo-Uwani Local Government Areas of Enugu State, Barr. Ukwueze aligned with Governor Mbah’s agro-economic security model, urging the conversion of criminal enclaves into farm estates, as being done in Akpawfu and other areas. He commended the state government’s establishment of a command-and-control centre, while noting that “no one government can do it alone without federal collaboration and synergy among states, especially as most of the threats are external, not internal.” He advocated for a constitutionally structured security framework, granting states and local governments greater control over their territorial security.
Also speaking, Chief Arinze Ogbodo hailed the Mbah administration’s recognition of the critical role of Presidents-General of town unions in grassroots governance and security.
“There’s a structured synergy between ALGON and town unions, with monthly security meetings where PGs brief council chairmen on community affairs and oversee local projects.”
Ogbodo urged that community policing operatives be equipped with modern security gadgets and appealed to wealthy Igbo sons and daughters in the diaspora to support local security efforts, warning against the displacement risks faced by some communities elsewhere.
Barr. Nyia commended the Mbah-led government for its efforts in formalizing community policing and involving security agencies such as the police and military. He, however, called for the creation of a comprehensive security belt across Enugu’s borders and systemic restructuring.
“If Fulani herders can move about with AK-47s unchecked, while forest guards charged with protecting communities cannot, then the system urgently needs restructuring.”
Nyia charged all wards to undertake bush-clearing initiatives to deny criminals cover and called for a security framework that legally empowers local authorities to effectively defend their people.