The Edo State Government has moved to reassure residents after a video surfaced online showing a man, believed to be a bandit, issuing threats to communities in and around Ekpoma.
According to officials, Governor Monday Okpebholo was briefed immediately as the clip began spreading and convened an emergency meeting with top security chiefs. Sources familiar with the meeting said the Governor handled the situation with urgency, noting that he has been receiving frequent intelligence updates amid rising security worries across the state.
Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, said in a statement on Wednesday that Edo had already intensified surveillance across major roads and vulnerable communities over the past few weeks.
He highlighted expanded monitoring along critical routes, including:
* the Benin–Auchi Expressway,
* Ekpoma–Uromi Road,
* Ehor–Iruekpen axis,
* Benin Bypass,
* Ewu–Irrua–Ubiaja corridor, and
* the Benin–Afuze–Auchi stretch.
The aim, he noted, is to ensure rapid detection of suspicious activity, swift intervention, and sustained pressure on criminal networks.
Following the Governor’s directives, joint security units—comprising personnel from the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Police, the Civil Defence Corps, local vigilante groups and the Edo State Special Security Squad—have ramped up operations.
Patrols and targeted searches are ongoing across forests, border settlements and locations previously identified as hotspots.
Itua revealed that arrests linked to recent security incidents have already been made, and investigators are following multiple leads. He urged residents to stay alert, cooperate with security personnel, and avoid circulating unverified videos or rumours that could heighten public anxiety.
He added that the government’s renewed security push will continue until every part of the state, from densely populated cities to rural communities, is secure for citizens, commuters and investors.
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“Governor Okpebholo is unwavering in his commitment to safeguarding lives and property,” Itua said. “This administration will continue to deploy all lawful measures to ensure criminal elements find no refuge anywhere in Edo State.”
