Insecurity: Obaseki vows to evict illegal occupants of Edo forests

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, says security agencies will launch an operation to comb the forests in the state for criminals.

The governor said this during a fact-checking tour in Ugo community, Orhionmwon local government area of Edo state.

According to a statement on Wednesday, Obaseki condoled with the families of those affected by banditry, adding that his government was very concerned about the situation.

“I am here with the commissioner of police, Mr. Philip Agbadu, and other heads of security agencies in the state to commiserate with you. This is to tell you how serious we take what has happened in Ugo,” he said.

“We are here first to commiserate with you and to let you know that we feel your pains, and that as a government we are very concerned and worried.

“The principal role of any government is to protect the lives and property of citizens. We are here to find out for ourselves what actually happened and to make certain decisions.

“I know this is not the first time it has happened, but we want to make sure that this sort of thing does not happen again in this community. I want to thank you for being law abiding citizens and not taking laws into your hands.”

Obaseki assured the residents of his administration’s commitment to dealing with the attacks by bandits, adding that the government would work with information given about their location.

“I want to assure you that an operation will be carried out. I am very happy with the number of vigilantes I see in the community, which means that you have enough information. We are not against the presence of anybody who wants to come and do business here,” the governor said.

“Whether they want to come and herd their cattle, or they want to do other business here, you are not against them. You are only saying that, if they want to come and graze, they must do it legally and lawfully.

“We are going to embark on an operation through which we will vacate anybody who is not supposed to be in the forest. Good enough, there is information about their location; they cannot be more armed than the military.

“We cannot bring back the lives of those we have lost. All we can do is to make sure that we do not lose many more lives. We will support the LGA chairman, Sylvester Okoro, to help and support the families of those we have lost.”

Due to frequent attacks in Ugo community, residents had appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the state government for intervention.

On February 3, women in Edo had also taken to the streets to protest the criminal activities of some herdsmen, whom they accused of  bringing hardship to their communities.