SOUTH-EAST UNDER SIEGE: HOW INSECURITY IS REDEFINING GOVERNANCE TESTS FOR OTTI AND OTHER GOVERNORS
The South-East of Nigeria is passing through one of its gravest security crises since the end of the civil war. From Abia to Imo, Ebonyi to Enugu and Anambra, violence has assumed a frightening regularity, marked by kidnappings, ambushes, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and crippling economic shutdowns. Once known primarily for commerce and enterprise, the region is now increasingly defined by fear. For governors like Dr. Alex Otti of Abia State, insecurity has become not just a policy challenge but the ultimate test of leadership.
A recent report by BusinessDay revealed that 257 people were kidnapped in the South-East within one year between 2024 and 2025, a figure that underscores how deeply criminality has penetrated daily life. (Source: BusinessDay Nigeria, “Kidnappings surge in South-East with 257 victims in one year” – https://businessday.ng/news/article/kidnappings-surge-in-south-east-with-257-victims-in-one-year-report/). Beyond statistics, the human toll is devastating: families impoverished by ransom payments, communities traumatized by disappearances, and businesses forced to shut down.
The scale of killings is even more alarming. Amnesty International documented that 1,844 people were killed and hundreds forcibly disappeared in the South-East between 2021 and mid-2023, with responsibility traced to armed groups, cult violence, unknown gunmen and, in some cases, alleged abuses by security forces. (Source: Amnesty International, 2025 Report – https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/08/nigeria-thousands-killed-hundreds-forcibly-disappeared-two-years-south-east/). Amnesty warned that the region risks normalizing a culture of death and impunity if urgent state action is not taken.
Economic life across the zone has suffered catastrophic disruption. Recurrent “sit-at-home” orders — some enforced violently — have paralyzed transport, banking, education and commercial activity. ThisDay observed that insecurity has strangled small and medium-scale enterprises, weakened revenue inflows, and widened unemployment across the South-East. (Source: ThisDay Live, “Insecurity in the South-East” – https://www.thisdaylive.com/2025/05/05/insecurity-in-the-southeast/). Traders in Aba, Onitsha and Owerri now operate under constant threat, shutting shops abruptly at the sound of gunfire.
The fear has grown so deep that even national youth service has been affected. The Guardian reported that a rising number of Nigerian graduates now reject NYSC postings to the South-East due to security concerns, preferring redeployment or direct posting alternatives. (Source: The Guardian Nigeria, “Graduates reject NYSC postings to South-East over insecurity” – https://guardian.ng/featured/id-rather-pay-for-direct-posting-graduates-reject-nysc-postings-to-north-southeast-cite-growing-insecurity/). This quiet migration of young talent reflects a region bleeding confidence at its core.
At the federal level, alarm bells are ringing. The Nigerian Senate has publicly acknowledged the gravity of the situation. In November 2025, the Senate vowed to restore normalcy in the South-East following a closed-door security review in Enugu. (Source: Vanguard Newspapers, “Insecurity: Senate vows to restore normalcy in South-East” – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/11/insecurity-senate-vows-to-restore-normalcy-in-s-east/). The resolution signaled that the crisis had crossed from regional to national emergency.
Within this bleak landscape, Abia State occupies a strategic and symbolic position. As one of the region’s major commercial hubs, any security breakdown in Abia reverberates widely across the South-East. Governor Alex Otti’s administration has, therefore, found itself under intense public scrutiny. Citizens increasingly demand answers not just on roads, markets or budgets, but on the basic right to safety. No development project, no matter how ambitious, can thrive on a foundation of fear.
There have been some efforts at inter-state security coordination. Recently, Abia and Imo States jointly launched a security task force along the Aba–Owerri Expressway, one of the most dangerous corridors in the region. (Source: Radio Nigeria, “Abia, Imo launch joint security task force on Aba–Owerri highway” – https://radionigeria.gov.ng/2025/12/05/abia-imo-launch-joint-security-task-force-on-aba-owerri-expressway/). The initiative aims to curb kidnappings and armed robberies along the route, which had become notorious for ambushes.
Yet civil society groups argue that joint patrols alone are not enough. Amnesty International has repeatedly urged South-East governors to move beyond reactive militarization and confront the deeper drivers of the crisis: unemployment, political exclusion, weak justice systems and the proliferation of arms. The rights group insists that “security operations without accountability will only deepen distrust between citizens and the state.” (Source: Amnesty International, same report as above).
Another controversial dimension is the politicization of insecurity. Armed groups deny responsibility even as crimes escalate. For instance, IPOB has publicly denied involvement in kidnap and criminal activities, asserting that it is not responsible for the region’s rising crime wave. (Source: Sahara Reporters, “IPOB Denies Involvement in South-East Insecurity” – https://saharareporters.com/2025/09/16/ipob-denies-involvement-south-east-insecurity-says-were-not-kidnappers-or-criminals). This denial, however, exists alongside mounting accusations from residents who experience violence daily, deepening public confusion and distrust.
For Governor Otti, the insecurity crisis now overshadows every other policy debate. Budgets, infrastructure projects, power supply reforms and market redevelopment all become secondary when citizens fear travel after dusk. Investors are watching, hesitating. Diaspora Abians who once considered returning to invest now delay decisions. Farmers abandon distant farms. Transport costs rise. Every gunshot echoes as both a security failure and an economic setback.
The international dimension is also emerging. Travel advisories issued by foreign governments increasingly flag the South-East as high-risk. Punch Newspapers recently highlighted that insecurity and failing healthcare systems are now jointly discouraging international engagement with the region. (Source: Punch Nigeria, “Insecurity, healthcare failure rock South-East amid US travel warning” – https://punchng.com/insecurity-healthcare-failure-rock-south-east-amid-us-travel-warning/). Such warnings directly affect tourism, international trade missions and even medical tourism.
What this moment demands of leaders like Governor Otti is moral clarity, institutional courage and strategic coordination. Citizens are no longer satisfied with condemnations after attacks. They seek visible intelligence-driven policing, dismantling of criminal networks, prosecution of sponsors, community trust-building, and social policies that regenerate hope among idle youth who are often recruited into violent gangs.
Insecurity, more than any other issue today, defines the political legacy being written in the South-East. For Abia State under Alex Otti, the challenge is stark and unavoidable: either government authority reasserts itself decisively and lawfully, or fear will continue to govern where elected leadership should lead. History will not judge this era by how many press statements were issued after attacks, but by how effectively life, liberty and dignity were restored to ordinary people.
At stake is not just political survival, but the soul of a region that once prided itself as Nigeria’s centre of enterprise, resilience and innovation. The battle for the South-East is now, unmistakably, a battle for security — and it is one no governor can afford to lose quietly.
Gov Otti’s Strategic Onslaught
Even amid these security challenges, it is important to acknowledge that Governor Alex Otti has not folded his arms. His administration has taken visible steps to strengthen internal security coordination, including increased logistics support to security agencies, improved intelligence collaboration with federal formations, crackdown on criminal hideouts in key flashpoints, and renewed emphasis on digital surveillance and rapid-response policing. The ongoing rehabilitation of critical road corridors has also reduced criminal advantage in several communities by restoring mobility for both civilians and security operatives. While insecurity remains a regional crisis far beyond the powers of any single governor, these interventions clearly show that the Abia State Government is not indifferent. What Abians now require is the deepening of these efforts through sustained federal-state synergy, enhanced community policing frameworks, and regional intelligence integration to secure lasting peace.
AProf Chukwuemeka Ifegwu Eke
