By Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi claimed that Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed by the governors of the south east region.
Verdict
False, the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and not governors of the south east region.
Full Text
Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi claimed that Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed by the government of south eastern states.
Obi stated this on Monday while answering questions from participants at an event organised by six northern-based groups under the aegis of Arewa Joint Committee (AJC) in Kaduna for presidential candidates ahead of the 2023 general elections.
For Obidients pretending not to see Peter Obi's response. Here you have it👇 pic.twitter.com/RaZuHf9ox4
— Theresa Tekenah 🇳🇬 (@TheresaTekenah) October 17, 2022
Verification
A quick search by FactCheckElections revealed that the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed on December 2020 by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) for the south-east and south-south regions.
The objective of the security network is to protect the south-east and south-south from “criminal activity” and it’s and it’s a replica of south west’s Amotekun created by the governors of the region to curb insecurity.
Ebube Agu Regional Security
In the same vein, the five governors of the Southeast region, on April 2021 launched the region’s security outfit codenamed ‘Ebube Agu’ meaning fear of a lion.
The security outfit which is also patterned after Amotekun, have the responsibility to coordinate all the activities of vigilantes in the Southeast, and to checkmate rising unrest in the region.