Amid the escalation of security challenges and thuggery in Edo State, prominent members of the state under the aegis of the Akugbe Movement have called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency to avert the looming violence ahead of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
The group alleged that residents of Benin City, the state capital and its environs no longer sleep with their eyes closed because of the uncontrolled activities of the state-controlled Edo Vigilantes Services and cult organisations.
The socio-cultural group said the state had been taken over by cult-related activities with a high influx of armed hoodlums into the state from different parts of the country in addition to the increasing menace of the vigilante services.
Its national coordinator, Chief Osaro Idemudia, also called on security agencies to flush out hoodlums suspected to be cult members that have entered the state ahead of the planned protests by youths in August and fingered officials of the state government in the plot.
Idemudia also advised the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and other security agencies to cancel the proposed REMA Concert scheduled for August 30, 2024, at the Ogbe Stadium in Benin City, saying the event will be counterproductive to the peace of the state, especially with elections in September.
In a statement yesterday, he said the concert would be a rallying point for cultists in the state, working together under the aegis of a movement known to the government.
He criticised the security agencies for turning a blind eye to the nefarious activities of these cult boys and the Edo Vigilante. “The Edo Vigilante has become another cult group because they carry arms and shoot indiscriminately in broad daylight as a way of intimidating people in public functions.”
“Considering that Edo State has become too volatile with frequent secret cult clashes that have claimed over 150 lives since January 2024 as revealed by the state government, there is a need to declare a state of emergency across the state,” Idemudia stated.
“In 2004, only about three persons were killed on the streets of Jos when President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Plateau State. But the Jos situation is a child’s play to what we now have in Edo today.
“With over 150 persons killed by cultists in Edo State and the numerous kidnapping and armed robbery cases, Edo State is turning into a lawless place, yet the security agencies are pretending that all is well.
“We want to tell President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that everything is not going well in Edo State. In some places, members of the public have taken to jungle justice so that they can sleep with their two eyes closed.
“Many residents are already afraid of the September election, which may result in voter apathy. INEC has also declared that the activities of the state-controlled vigilantes may mar the election.
“This is highly unacceptable for democracy to flourish. The police and DSS are handicapped. This is a serious problem the national security adviser and inspector-general of police must look into with utmost concern,” Idemudia stated.
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