By Kennedy Ifeh

In 2016, a personality whom I have a huge amount of respect for informed me that mayhem was about to happen in Edo State. He said the ignorance of has made it possible for a person of questionable ideological depth to assume a very sensitive position in governance in the state.

NATIONAL HOSPITAL AT 20: Residency training

His fears, however, were not for the immediate. He was worried that if this ideologically bankrupt person become governor of the state, Edo will be in a mess.

Many of us, who were active in the National Association of Nigeria Student (NANS) from 2000 to 2004 and knew the antecedents of this personality, took this warning seriously. Today, we can confirm that Edo State is under siege.

It is an insult to the institutions of government for political office holders to say they are on the part of executive lawlessness because that is how they were taught. Trading on deception exploited from all fronts, they got an order from the Inspector General of Police stopping a legitimate gathering of Nigerians.

If they gave a false narrative on the security situation in Edo State for whatever reason, the inability of the police to confront their lies drawing from the genuine police report, gave them space to thrive. The Edo State political space has suffered severe criminal assault in recent times.

Many have been inflicted with all kinds of bodily harm because they dared to gather for purposes considered hostile to the position of the state government.

Who is behind this barbaric assault on our national psyche? What is the final objective of these enemies of civilisation and order? What is the final end sought by these enemies of community and social harmony? These questions are puzzling and disturbing indeed. Even when the house of Adams Oshiomhole was threatened with attack by some political thugs, the Commissioner of Police in Edo state came out to deny that it happened. Yet a young man openly validated the information and posited that it was the intervention of youths organised by him that saved Adams from being harmed on that day. The contradictory indulgence of the police in the Edo State issues leave much to be desired. It is, indeed, worrisome.

It must be said that it is dangerous to the social psyche of our country for the development in Edo State to be taken for granted. The fact that players loyal to the governor are coming out to publicly acknowledge their complicity in criminal indulgence by claiming they learnt it from someone shows the level of decadence that pervades the state.

The government owes the people of Edo State and, in fact, the Nigerians people an explanation on the growing trend of cult violence in Edo State.

When a government has lost the confidence of the people on its capacity to protect them, when the people are more scared of the government than the street criminals on the security of their lives, then a major calamity has befallen that state. This is exactly the present locale of the social space in Edo state today. It is obvious that the present government in Edo State is not bothered about what the people think on the coming elections.

It is funny that these Machiavellians whose only path is evil, could accuse Adams Oshiomhole of bringing thugs into Edo State. We never saw thugs molesting the governor, his deputy or any other official of the government. The victims of thuggery known to Nigerians on these days was Adams Oshiomhole who was to be prevented from entering his own state of origin by hired thug described as protesting APC youths.

Others were the supporters of Osagie Ize Iyamu who had the rally they were organising for their Principal scuttled officially as well as Osagie Ize Iyamu himself whose freedom of association, personal liberty and right to life have been brutally assaulted in the cataclysm that has ensued so far.

Oshiomole could not have hired thugs to stop himself from entering Edo State neither would Osagie Ize Iyamu have hired thugs to shoot at those who were welcoming him into the APC. It is important for the governor and his aides to know that the peoples patience to study the fact of a matter does not indicate foolishness. You, definitely, cannot fool the people forever. This is the crux of the matter.

Let it be known that those who ride on the tigers back, will end up in the tigers stomach. It is said that those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. Those who rely on violence to suppress the will of the people will definitely be victims of its own inherent contradiction. Let the government be challenged to excel. Let the government be challenged to transcend the records of Adams Oshiomhole.

There is no effective working plan to curb insecurity in Edo State. The level of poverty in the state is getting worst as the government lack the capacity to industrialise the state. The state Universities have not witnessed any government thrust in infrastructural development. Ambrose Alli University is threatened by the policy of this government which compel the institution to fund itself.

The indulgence in blackmail, name calling, and violent assault on opponents only have a momentary impact. In the long run, the triumph of truth and the will of the people would determine the final end.

Oshiomhole not under house arrest  – John Mayaki

Oshiomhole has shown what makes a leader in his patience in the face of insults. The citizenry of Edo State must sustain this matured eerie presently expressed, trusting that in a few months, our mandate will deliver judgement on this state of affairs. The final judgement is not in the hands of the police or any accomplices built and bought by the government. The final judgement will come from the people expressed in the ballot.

​​​​​Kennedy Ifeh, a commentator on national issues, writes from Benin

Vanguard