Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has expressed concern over the increasing number of homicides in the state and announced the formation of a committee to investigate these crimes in conjunction with law enforcement.
Obaseki made these remarks at a press conference after the monthly meeting of the Security Council held in the Government House in Benin City.
According to the governor, the Security Council has also ordered the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to coordinate with the state government in raiding drug distribution hubs in Benin City and elsewhere in the state.
He promised that “efforts would be escalated in a few of days” and that “raids in places where hard narcotics are being peddled will be carried out.”
He said, “We are delighted to announce that in terms of incidents, we observed a very significant drop in occurrences from over 100 instances in January to roughly 40 cases in February and a small rise in March.” The March meeting of the Edo State Security Council had just ended. We are relieved that the electoral process had little impact on security in Edo.
“The murder rate in the State is a cause for serious worry for us. There have been 51 homicides so far this year, and inquiries have shown that most of them are linked to real estate deals. Drugs are a major factor in the state’s rising murder rate.
Obaseki said, “The Security Council is particularly worried about murder cases and has set up a Committee of Council to examine specifics of instances of homicide occurrences seen in the State in the recent past. When the Committee has completed its investigation and reopened the murder cases, it will submit its findings to the Council. It must also guarantee that, in murder situations, it pursues the responsible parties.
Obaseki expressed his dismay at the condition of federal highways in Edo by saying, “The transportation sector was also examined by the Council, which is concerned that the State might be isolated from the rest of the country if quick action is not taken.
He went on to say, “The Edo State Government has continued to stress that trucks and heavy-duty vehicles that need to travel federal roadways shouldn’t utilize the intra-state roads since they are not meant for such size trucks.” Sapele Road is nearly impassable now, and it might become much worse if the rain really starts falling. Passengers in Edo State should be able to easily travel to the rest of the nation, especially the North and South, and the federal government should act quickly to make this possible.
“When the real rain arrives in June and July, the situation on Auchi Road and other stretches of the Benin-Lagos Road will be dire. The Council has decided to send the federal government an urgent statement urging them to fix the damaged stretch of road immediately.
While one of the suspects in the murders of police officers in Igarra, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the State has been slain, CP Dankwara Muhammad, Commissioner of Police for Edo State, stated that the police are still on the trail of the other members of the gang.
In addition, he gave assurances that the police force in Edo State was prepared for the rerun of the inconclusive House of Assembly elections in the Egor and Oredo seats.