Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has said that the unknown gunmen responsible for the rising security challenges in the South-Eastern part of the country are indigenes of the region.

Umahi explained that the unknown gunmen are not really unknown, adding that they are young men and women who should protect the interest of the South East as leaders of tomorrow.

The governor spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday.

Umahi, who also decried the killing of some of the security operatives in the line of duty, urged the young people in the region to stop giving themselves to be killed.

The governor said, “When you have infested firewood, the ants will definitely come over there.

“Let our people come out to speak out that the unknown gunmen are not really unknown gunmen, they are our young men and women who will defend our land tomorrow; they should stop giving themselves to be killed.”

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He added, “Let our people stop confronting the security agencies. Without burning properties of the government, there will be no need for the deployment of security operatives and when they’re deployed, you cannot tell them how to do the job when they’re confronted with death.

“A lot of them have lost their lives; they have families. We have to also know that the lives of the security operatives are the lives of our brothers and sisters, we’re killing ourselves and it should stop.”

UGAMATV recalls that unknown gunmen numbering over twenty attacked Ugbuodo police divisional headquarters in Ebonyi Local Government Area and killed one police officer in May.

Also, in April, unknown gunmen attacked a bank and killed a police officer, while three civilians were reportedly shot and dispossessed of their valuables at Onueke market in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.