BENIN: Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has warned that criminals will no longer find refuge in the state, declaring that his administration is fully committed to tackling insecurity.
Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Fred Itua, said Senator Okpebholo issued the warning on Wednesday while commissioning over 300 motorbikes for security operations across the state’s three senatorial districts.
The event, held at Government House, Benin City, was attended by top security chiefs, including the Edo State Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika; Commander of the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Ebenezer Oduyebo; and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, Alhaji Gani Audu.
Okpebholo said the motorbikes would be deployed to hard-to-reach terrains, particularly forests where criminal activities such as kidnapping are rampant.
“We promised our people during the campaign that we would fight insecurity and restore peace to every part of Edo State. Today, we are fulfilling that promise. Criminals must leave Edo State. These motorbikes, along with other security technologies we are deploying, will make it very difficult for them to operate”, the governor said.
Commending the initiative, CP Agbonika described it as a “new dawn” in Edo’s fight against crime.
He said the motorbikes would enable security agencies to penetrate forests and other hideouts of criminal gangs, while urging residents to support security operatives with credible information.
In a related development, Governor Okpebholo also commissioned heavy-duty equipment, including bulldozers, low-bed trucks, and tractors, for the Edo State Waste Management Board.
He said the move was aimed at strengthening environmental sanitation and ending the state’s reliance on expensive equipment rentals.
“The previous administration spent over N50 million monthly to rent caterpillars for waste management. That is not sustainable. These machines were purchased with Edo people’s money for Edo people’s use,” Okpebholo stated.
Managing Director of the Waste Management Board, Lucky Enehita-Inegbeneh, praised the investment, saying the new equipment would significantly improve the agency’s capacity to maintain a cleaner and healthier environment.
Governor Okpebholo’s dual interventions in the security and environmental sectors, stakeholders noted, underscored his administration’s drive for practical, results-oriented governance.
