Peter Mbah’s Visionary Leadership and the Rebirth of Security in Enugu State

By Malachy Agbo

In recent times, Enugu State has witnessed an extraordinary surge in human and economic traffic. Flights into the state—especially during the Yuletide—are often fully booked regardless of the airfare, which typically spikes due to high demand. “Going east” is now the rave as more Nigerians choose Enugu as their preferred destination. The same pattern repeats across land transport: more visitors, more businesspeople, more returning families.

This renewed confidence is not accidental. It is a direct testament to the marvellous and visionary leadership of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, Governor of Enugu State, whose strategic, courageous, and unprecedented reforms have repositioned Enugu as one of Nigeria’s safest and most economically vibrant states.

On assuming office, Dr. Mbah made it quite clear that insecurity, which had deeply affected the social and economic life of the state, was unacceptable. He approached the challenge with a clarity of purpose and an unshakeable resolve, implementing a well-thought-out blend of kinetic and non-kinetic measures aimed at restoring peace while tackling the root causes of crime.

Central to his security philosophy was the recognition that growing Enugu’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, as he had envisioned, was contingent on building a safe, predictable, and stable environment for residents and investors.

Today, that vision is no longer an aspiration, it is a lived reality.

One of Dr. Mbah’s earliest and most courageous actions was the decisive termination of the illegal Monday sit-at-home order. Effective June 5, 2023, he announced that Enugu would no longer surrender its economic life to non-state actors. He rallied market leaders, businesses, civil servants, schools, and industries to reclaim their sense of enterprise and dignity. Though the decision initially stirred mixed reactions, it soon proved visionary. Within months, Mondays in Enugu fully bounced back to life. To many back then, it sounded too good to be true; but it is a reality – markets, banks, schools, and industries now operate with confidence, putting behind them years of fear and paralysis.

In a similar fashion, Mbah signed Executive Order 002, mandating the removal of illegal street barricades that once made parts of Enugu almost inaccessible. The move restored free movement, defeated criminal control of local spaces, and revitalized urban commerce.

Driven by the understanding that modern security requires speed, intelligence, and technology, Dr. Mbah replaced the largely inactive urban patrol with a new, agile force by launching the Distress Response Squad (DRS), with 150 patrol vehicles fitted with AI-enabled cameras, aiding 24/7 surveillance operations and spearheading a rapid response capability across the entire state. This bold step restored public trust and signalled a shift to data-driven policing.

In early 2024, the governor established the Enugu State Security Trust Fund, a mechanism modelled after global best practices for sustainable security financing. The Fund has since mobilized private-sector support for security operations, equipment, and logistics, reinforcing the state’s long-term commitment to peace.

On January 6, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned Enugu’s ultramodern Command and Control Centre, an AI-powered hub linked to hundreds of surveillance cameras and the DRS patrol network.

This facility has fundamentally transformed crime prevention and response through automated threat detection, real-time crime monitoring, rapid deployment of officers and evidence-based policing. As a result, the state has recorded over 80% reduction in violent crimes, a figure unprecedented in the region.

Last week, Dr. Mbah inaugurated new ESSTF-procured security assets, including 2 advanced VTOL drones with 100km range, 10 Hilux patrol vehicles, 40 motorcycles for difficult terrains, 400 bulletproof vests and 400 bulletproof helmets.

These two special purpose drones equipped with thermal, night, and AI-assisted cameras, now extend surveillance beyond Enugu’s borders, literally leaving no hiding place for criminals.

Dr. Mbah’s genius lies in understanding that lasting peace requires more than policing. His administration has therefore vigorously pursued poverty reduction and youth engagement through agricultural transformation.

With over 200-hectare farm estates, 300,000-hectare land bank for commercial farming, revival of the Tractor Assembly Plant with 1000 tractors expected within one year, agro-industrialisation programmes, technical/vocational training for thousands of youths, enhanced rural development through the 260 Smart Schools, 1,000km of rehabilitated and new roads, 260 Type-2 hospitals, ongoing construction of 300-bed International Hospital as well as numerous other impactful projects, to mention just a few, Enugu is experiencing a rebirth – in a literal and metaphorical sense. These programmes not only create jobs but agricultural initiatives turning vast swathes of forests – once criminal hideouts – into productive economic zones.

The governor has equally strengthened the Neighbourhood Watch and Forest Guard networks, integrating them into a coordinated community policing strategy that draws citizens into the collective effort to keep Enugu safe.

Today, Enugu can confidently host large scale conferences like the 2025 NBA Conference, and boasts vibrant nightlife across New Haven, Ogui, Presidential Road, Damija Avenue, as residents no longer fret over their safety. The result is an all-time increase in investor confidence, bustling economy and renewed sense of safety and pride among Ndi-Enugu.

The sense of assurance that Enugu’s strengthened security stirs can be glimpsed in this comment by Rt. Rev. Onyekachi Onyia, Trustee of the Enugu State Security Trust Fund: “If terrorists are able to get through Enugu, the entire South East is finished. We cannot afford to leave Enugu porous.”

The transformation of Enugu State’s security architecture under Dr. Peter Mbah is a study in courage, innovation, and visionary governance. By combining technology with community engagement, policy reforms with enforcement, and economic expansion with social stability, he has delivered what many thought impossible – a peaceful, secure, and thriving Enugu State.

Under Dr. Mbah, Enugu is not just safer—it is becoming a model for Nigeria and a beacon for the entire South East. Truly, tomorrow is here.

Dr. Malachy Agbo, is the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Enugu State