Every Life in Edo Must Be Protected, Says Governor Okpebholo
By De Parrot Media
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting every life and property in the state, declaring that no resident would be allowed to become a victim of insecurity. The governor also called for stronger collaboration among traditional institutions, community leaders, security agencies and residents to sustain the fight against kidnapping, cultism and other forms of criminality.
Governor Okpebholo made the declaration on Monday, September 7, 2026, while addressing Okaighele from the seven local government areas in Edo South Senatorial District at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin City. The meeting brought together major security stakeholders, including security chiefs, vigilante groups, members of the Edo State Security Corps and community security organisations.
Emphasising the importance of protecting Edo’s heritage and people, the governor said his administration was not prepared to lose any resident to insecurity. According to him, the government considers the protection of every life in the state a fundamental responsibility and would continue to deploy the necessary resources and strategies to make Edo safer.
“Edo has a history. Edo must be protected as every soul, every life in this land matters to us as a government. We are not prepared to lose any soul in the state as a result of insecurity,” Okpebholo said.
The governor described security as a collective responsibility, urging residents to become active partners with security agencies by providing credible and timely information about suspicious persons, movements and activities within their communities. He stressed that effective community policing could only be achieved when residents, traditional leaders and security personnel worked together.
“Security is not a one-man show but everybody’s business and duty. We all live in different communities and streets. I encourage you to report any security threats in your areas,” he said.
Okpebholo further warned criminals operating from outside Edo State against entering the state to perpetrate crimes, particularly kidnapping. He said his administration had demonstrated its determination to apprehend criminal elements regardless of where they came from, stressing that Edo would not become a safe haven for criminals.
“We are doing all we are doing to protect our land. We would not allow foreigners and people from other states into our land to kidnap our people. We all have a duty of collaboration to protect the state,” the governor said.
Giving an insight into the administration’s evolving security strategy, Okpebholo assured residents that the state would become safer in the coming weeks. He disclosed that mechanisms were being put in place to strengthen the policing of the state and significantly improve the response time of security agencies whenever distress calls were received.
“In the next few weeks, Edo State will be safer than what it is today because we have put strategies on ground to police the state,” he said.
The governor disclosed that under the new response strategy, a distress call would trigger a rapid deployment of security personnel, with between five and seven security vehicles expected to arrive at the affected location within five minutes. He also announced plans to provide motorcycles to security personnel to facilitate access to difficult and remote areas, including forests where criminals could be hiding.
He explained that the meeting with Okaighele was designed to establish stronger operational cooperation between community structures and formal security agencies. The objective, he said, was to develop practical modalities for collaboration among Okaighele, the police, vigilante groups, the Edo State Security Corps and other security formations in order to strengthen community policing.
Okpebholo also acknowledged the efforts of security personnel working to protect residents, noting that security agencies had been working late into the night to recover dangerous weapons and disrupt criminal operations. He said his administration had made significant progress in the campaign against cultism, while urging youths and community leaders to support security agencies with reliable intelligence.
Recalling the kidnapping incident at the Vegetable Market, the governor said security agencies were able to arrest the perpetrators within 24 hours after they allegedly came into Edo from another state to carry out the crime. He maintained that the administration would continue to pursue criminals and ensure that those who commit crimes in the state are brought to justice.
“If you commit crime in Edo State, you will be caught. We have arrested criminals who come from outside of Edo State, like in Niger, Kogi, Bauchi and other states, and we have rescued our people,” Okpebholo said.
The governor also linked security to Edo’s economic development, stressing that insecurity could undermine investor confidence and discourage businesses from establishing or expanding their operations in the state. He therefore pledged to make Edo sufficiently safe and secure to attract investments, create economic opportunities and support sustainable growth.
Commissioner for Public Safety and Security, Festus Ebea, commended Governor Okpebholo for his sustained efforts to tackle insecurity across the state. Ebea said the administration had demonstrated both the commitment and capacity required to confront cultism, kidnapping and other criminal activities, while urging Okaighele to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons and incidents to security agencies.
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, also praised the governor for convening the meeting, describing community participation as critical to effective security operations. He urged Okaighele to regard themselves as custodians of security within their communities and to maintain close working relationships with the police and other security agencies.
Similarly, the Commander of the 107 Air Force Base, Air Commodore Victor Eze Only, said Edo State was making progress in its security efforts. He noted that the necessary machinery had been put in place to confront criminal elements and improve the overall security situation across the state.
The Special Adviser on Community and Traditional Matters, Chief Emmanuel Iyase, disclosed that the Oba of Benin was organising Okaighele across various communities to complement the state government’s security initiatives. Iyase said the governor had successfully brought traditional and community leaders into closer partnership with government in the collective effort to protect residents.
He further revealed that Governor Okpebholo had directed Okaighele in Edo South to establish committees across communities to strengthen communication and cooperation with government and security agencies. The initiative, he said, would enhance grassroots intelligence gathering and create a more coordinated community-based security structure.
The meeting therefore underscored the Okpebholo administration’s position that the fight against insecurity cannot be left exclusively to conventional security agencies. By bringing Okaighele, traditional institutions, vigilante groups, the Edo State Security Corps and military and police authorities together, the government is seeking to build a coordinated security network capable of detecting threats early and responding to them swiftly.
With the governor’s five-minute rapid-response target, increased community intelligence, improved access to remote areas and stronger cooperation between security agencies and local communities, the administration says it is determined to consolidate ongoing efforts to make Edo safer. The ultimate objective, Governor Okpebholo reiterated, is to ensure that every life in Edo is protected and that residents can live, work and invest in the state without fear.