By Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – WHEN Sen. Monday Okpebholo was sworn in as the governor of Edo State on Tuesday, November 12 2024, he highlighted a five-point agenda which he said he would ensure were implemented till the end of his first tenure and security was number one on the list.

The other four areas are Infrastructural Development, Healthcare, Food sufficiency and Education.

In the past few years, the three senatorial districts of Edo state have been bedeviled with insecurity particularly kidnapping and cult related killings which seemed to have defied successive government’s solutions. There were also community related clashes in several parts of the state.

Edo state has lost hundreds of youths of youths in the last decade because cult related clashes and this seems to have defied solutions despite at a time all the heads of the various cult groups formed what as then called Rainbow Coalition to ensure that every potential clashes were nipped in the bud but this has not worked as the Coalition only functioned effectively for a few years.

In the same vein, several families in the state have paid hundreds of millions of naira and sometimes in foreign currencies to free their loved ones from kidnappers across the state. In the process, several breadwinners and family members, teenagers and adults either died in the hands of the kidnappers or were killed by them. Several security agencies, especially the police, also lost their personnel to these criminals.

Okpebholo before becoming the governor of the state told journalists the efforts he made in collaboration with other prominent sons and daughters of Edo Central Senatorial District even before he became a senator to ensure security in the area and promised that he would expand that into the state.

Okpebholo said on his inauguration day that “For a long time now, our people have become victims of kidnapping and other violent crimes. To end this ugly situation, we will be firm in dealing with criminals and improve the Security of our land, so that farming and other business activities will flourish again.”

He demonstrated this when he ordered for new vehicles after assuming office to empower security agencies in the state. Recall that former governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole established “Operation Thunderstorm” that involved the police, Army, DSS and others that was used to check kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes in the state, then it brought some relief to the state.

In his budget presentation of N605,076,065,857.34 billion on Monday, Okpebholo said the budget was tagged a New Edo is rising to reelect his vision of a new state that would be run for the benefit of the people.

. He said “My administration is also powered by the drive to bring about peace and harmony in all parts of the state.

“We shall put our energies to ensure hostilities between communities are resolved.

My administration has recently purchased 20 patrol vehicles to assist the security personnel in their work and we plan to purchase more in the coming year. The ban on the activities of the Edo State Vigilante has been lifted.”

It is hoped that with this focus on checking insecurity, the state would once again become devoid of community clashes, cult related killings. Kidnappings and other violent crimes.