TheCable Fact Check
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Reading: FACT CHECK: Was ESN formed by south-east governors as Obi claimed?
Share
Latest News
No, Emefiele no return N4trn to FG
Rárá, Emefiele kò dá triliọnu mẹrin náírà padà fún ijọba àpapọ̀ orílẹ̀ èdè Nàìjíríà
Ḿbà, Emefiele ènyéghàchìghị̀ FG ọ́nụ́ égó N4trn
A’a, Emefiele bai mayarwa FG N4trn ba
FACT CHECK: No, Emefiele didn’t return N4trn to FG
FAKE NEWS ALERT: Akume hasn’t been replaced as SGF, says presidency
Rárá, Nàìjíríà kò fi àwọn ọmọ iṣẹ́ ológun rán sẹ sí Ísírẹ́lì láti dá rògbòdìyàn tó ń ṣẹlẹ̀ níbẹ̀ dúró
Slurs, smears, slander… how gendered disinformation targets high-profile Nigerian women
Advertisement
Aa
TheCable Fact CheckTheCable Fact Check
Search
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Follow US

FACT CHECK: Was ESN formed by south-east governors as Obi claimed?

Elizabeth Ogunbamowo
By Elizabeth Ogunbamowo Published October 25, 2022 4 Min Read
Share

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), recently claimed the Eastern Security Network (ESN) was formed by governors in the south-east.

The presidential candidate made the claim on Monday, October 15, 2022, at an interactive session organised by Arewa Joint Committee in Kaduna.

In the video of the event, a member of the audience had asked “why should the north trust you, when you have never for once, to my hearing, condemned the sit-at-home on Mondays in the south-east?” 

“Why should the north trust you, when, even recently, your campaign council that you constituted, for Sokoto and several states in the north, the chairman of your campaign organizations were Igbo men?

“Why should the north trust you, when I’ve not heard you, perhaps you’ve said it somewhere but I’ve not heard you categorically condemn IPOB, Eastern Security Network (ESN) and their activities?” the member of the audience asked. 

In response to the question, Obi said there was no way he could condemn the activities of the ESN since it was formed by the government of the eastern states.

“You’ve not been following my campaign. The Eastern Security Network was formed by the government of eastern states. The governors formed the security team, how can I go and condemn them? I’ve spoken about sit-at-home and I can tell you there was even a place they mentioned me. Everything I say, go and verify…”

But how true is the claim about the formation of the ESN?

Verification

Checks by TheCable revealed that the Eastern Security Network was actually formed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in December 2020.

IPOB, established in 2012 by Kanu, had continually pushed for the establishment of a sovereign state for the people of the south-east extraction, over claims of marginalisation. 

On December 13, 2020, Kanu announced the launch of the security outfit. He had said its primary responsibility is to protect the south-east from terrorists and other criminal elements.

Prior to this, there had been reports of invasion of farmlands by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen in the region. 

Meanwhile, in his announcement, Kanu likened the outfit to Amotekun in the Southwest and Miyetti-Allah in the northern region. 

He further noted that the failure of the south-east governors to secure the lives and property of the Igbo people led to the formation of the security network.

Also, recall that in 2021, governors of the southeast region established a joint security outfit codenamed Ebube Agu, “to tackle insecurity in the region”.

Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, who spoke on behalf of the other governors said the establishment of the outfit was owing to the worsening security crisis in the region. 

“The meeting resolved to maintain a joint security vigilante for the south-east otherwise known as Ebube Agu. The meeting appreciated the formation of south-east joint security outfit codenamed ‘Ebube Agu’ — headquarters in Enugu to coordinate our vigilante in the south-east,” Umahi said. 

Verdict

Obi’s claim that ESN was formed by the governors of eastern states is false. The security outfit was formed by IPOB. The LP presidential candidate confused Eastern Security Network with Ebube Agu.

TAGGED: Eastern Security Network, Ebube Agu, Labour Party, peter obi

Please send your feedback, claims to fact check and corrections requests to [email protected]

Elizabeth Ogunbamowo October 25, 2022 October 25, 2022
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR POSTS

Advertisement

No, Emefiele no return N4trn to FG

One video wey dey waka for social media show as Facebook user claim sey Godwin…

July 4, 2025

Rárá, Emefiele kò dá triliọnu mẹrin náírà padà fún ijọba àpapọ̀ orílẹ̀ èdè Nàìjíríà

Fídíò kan tí àwọn ènìyàn ti ń pín lórí àwọn ohun ìgbàlódé íbaraẹnise orí ayélujára,…

July 4, 2025

Ḿbà, Emefiele ènyéghàchìghị̀ FG ọ́nụ́ égó N4trn

Ótù ihe ngosị nà soshal midia egosila ebe ótù onye ji Facebook ekesa ozi kwuru…

July 4, 2025

A’a, Emefiele bai mayarwa FG N4trn ba

Wani faifan bidiyo da ke yawo a kafafen sada zumunta ya nuna wani ma’abocin Facebook…

July 4, 2025
Advertisement
Advertisement

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

FACT CHECK: No, Emefiele didn’t return N4trn to FG

A video circulating on social media shows a Facebook user claiming Godwin Emefiele, the former governor of the Central Bank…

Fact Check
July 2, 2025

FAKE NEWS ALERT: Akume hasn’t been replaced as SGF, says presidency

The presidency says reports on George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), being replaced are a fabrication.…

Fact CheckFake News AlertTop Stories
June 29, 2025

Slurs, smears, slander… how gendered disinformation targets high-profile Nigerian women

In the early hours of April 15, 2025, armed men wielding firearms and cutlasses attacked Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan's residence in her…

Exclusives & FeaturesFact CheckTop Stories
June 28, 2025

Did Tinubu attend same school as Alexander Zingman? Here is what we know

During the launch of the renewed hope mechanisation programme in Abuja on Monday, President Bola Tinubu said Alexander Zingman, a…

Fact CheckTop Stories
June 24, 2025

CableCheck seeks to provide reliable tools and resources for readers to tackle the menace of fake and misleading materials constantly pushed into the public space from various sources. We monitor the accuracy of claims made in traditional and social media. We also provide a tracker to hold politicians and policymakers accountable for the plans and promises they make to the public. CableCheck is a project of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), supported by the MacArthur Foundation and implemented by TheCable newspaper.

Follow US: 

LINKS

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Non-Partisanship Policy
  • Funding
  • Correction Policy
© Copyright TheCable. All Rights reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?