Incessant Kidnapping: Community blocks Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi Road

Frustrated by the incessant cases of kidnappings along the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi road, the residents of the community, where the issue of kidnapping has become more notorious, on Thursday took over the road and completely blocked it to both human and vehicular movements.

The Thursday blocking of the ever-busy road is the second of such in less than a month, leaving commuters stranded for hours as both sides of the road were blocked by the protesting locals.

It was gathered that members of the Urokhuosa community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area was triggered by some suspected Fulani herdsmen, who, on Wednesday, attacked a Sienna bus, injuring many passengers.

The protesters while reeling out the daily abductions of travellers on the road, said a driver of one of the popular transport companies was shot dead on the same spot the previous week and threatened not to vacate the road until Governor Godwin ‎Obaseki or his Deputy, Philip Shaibu showed up.

Meanwhile, Governor Obaseki, has reassured that the government would sustain collaboration with the military, the Nigeria Police Force, members of the Edo State Community Vigilante Security Network and other security outfits in the state to tackle insecurity on the road.

Governor Obaseki gave the assurance when the leadership of the Student Union Government (SUG) of Ambrose Alli University paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Benin City.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Osaigbovo Iyoha, Obaseki reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the security of lives and property of Edo citizens, saying that measures had been put in place to enhance security in the axis and other parts of the state.

“The issue of insecurity on the highway is not peculiar to Edo State alone. We all know about the insecurity going on in the country but the Edo State Government has been proactive by doing a lot of work in collaborating with the local vigilante and other security agencies to boost security along that Uhunmwode and Obagie axis. In the not too distant future, it will be a thing of the past,” he assured.

(Nigerian Tribune)