They chanted "Ebubeagu must go" and sang sorrowful songs in honour of those allegedly killed by the outfit.
Hundreds of Igbo youths have stormed the streets of Aba, the Abia State commercial nerve centre to protest against the recent killing of innocent and unarmed citizens by South East regional security outfit, otherwise known as Ebubeagu.
The security outfit allegedly killed 14 youths attending a traditional wedding in a community in Imo State recently, sparking public outrage.
The protesters who were drawn from the five South-East states of Enugu, Abia, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi carried placards with various inscriptions.
They chanted "Ebubeagu must go" and sang sorrowful songs in honour of those allegedly killed by the outfit.
The protest started from Fox Road, taking the protesters through major streets in Aba town. As the demonstrators marched through the streets, they demanded that the security outfit should be disbanded.
The protesting residents in a viral video seen by SaharaReporters on Tuesday called on the state government to scrap the security outfit created by the South-East governors to protect lives and property in the region.
SaharaReporters had reported that gunmen suspected to be Ebube-Agu gunned down 14 youths said to be returning from a wedding ceremony in Awọ-Ọmama in the Oru East Local Government Area of Imo state.
Seven of the victims including two brothers were from Otulu community in Oru West Local Government Area of the state.
Following an outrage, Governor Hope Uzodimma absolved the outfit of blame, saying operatives of the Nigerian secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) carried the operation.
The State Director of DSS also said the killing was carried out by DSS operatives, alleging that the victims were killed at the camp of unknown gunmen, a gang known for terrorising the region.
However, pictures and accounts of the incident as narrated by eyewitnesses contradict the claims of the DSS Director.
One of the leaders of the protesters and President of Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, Comrade Goodluck Ibem, told SaharaReporters on the telephone that the protest was against the constant killing of unarmed youths in the region by security agencies, especially Ebubeagu.
Ibem said, "The protesters are youths of the South East from the five states of the region. We want Ebubeagu Security outfit to be disbanded. Even the Eastern Security (ESN) outfit of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was not going about killing people.
"So Igbo youths are protesting against Ebubeagu in Igboland, particularly the killings in Imo. We are protesting against the killings. We don't want Ebubeagu again in Igboland. Ebubeagu has been a thorn in the flesh of our youths. Ebubeagu does not want to see youths. Ebubeagu's mission in Igboland is to kill the youths. It is now a crime to be a youth in Igboland and that is why we are protesting against the killings by Ebubeagu."
He disclosed that “after Abia State protest, we are taking the protest to Imo”.