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Edo court remands 52 youths over anti-herdsmen riot *Okpebholo warns kidnappers
An obviously angry Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has sent a clear message to kidnappers and other criminals involved in other forms of high crimes in the state – leave now – you have no place here.
The warning is coming ahead of the remand of 52 youths in the state by an Edo State High Court, for the protest that took place last weekend over the relentless attacks and kidnap of residents, which the organisers insist were perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen.
Patrick Ebojele, spokesman of the governor, quoted his boss who spoke against the growing public concerns over security in the state that decisive measures were already yielding results in the fight against kidnapping, cultism, and other criminal activities.
Giving details of how the government had made massive investments in modern security apparatus, intelligence gathering, and inter-agency collaboration to confront criminal elements head-on, Okpebholo affirmed that the issue of kidnapping, particularly, was being seriously and strategically addressed.
Warning against flippancy over security matters, which he said were sensitive and not always suitable for public debate, adding that premature disclosures could undermine operational effectiveness.
Hear him: “This administration will not allow criminals or their sponsors to take Edo State hostage. Anyone involved in kidnapping, cultism, or any form of criminality will be tracked down and brought to justice. There will be no hiding place for perpetrators.”
He reaffirmed his determination to win the battle against crime and restore lasting peace across Edo State, calling on citizens to support security agencies by providing useful information and refusing to shield criminals in their communities.
The Edo State High Court, Criminal Court 2, ordered the remand of youths involved in the protest, which rocked the Ekpoma area of the state at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre, following pleas by the prosecution for a 14-day remand period.
Videos emanating from the court showed some of the remanded protesters climbing into the Black Maria trucks conveying them to the prison facilities amid the wailing and protests from anxious relatives.
The youths, were said to be among the angry demonstrators, who took to the streets to protest against the spate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the university town located in the Esan West Local Government Area, which the police claimed was hijacked and led to serious crimes.
Eno Ikoedem, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), and spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, said in a statement on Sunday that upon the commencement of the protest on Saturday, the Area Commander, Ekpoma, immediately mobilised police personnel in strategic collaboration with sister security agencies to ensure that it remained peaceful, orderly, and within the confines of the law.
Hear him: “Regrettably, the protest was hijacked, and all the rules of peaceful protest were ignored, which led to incidents, including malicious damages, looting of property, vandalisation of shops, as well as a military personnel discharging firearms at a protester.
“In response to the sudden escalation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, promptly led additional tactical reinforcements from the State Command Headquarters, Benin to Ekpoma to reinforce operational control, restore public order, and prevent further degeneration of the situation.”
It said that through coordinated deployments, strategic positioning of personnel, and professional crowd control measures, normalcy was swiftly restored across the affected areas.
The police also stated that those who engaged in acts of “violence, vandalism, and looting” were identified and arrested, while thorough investigations were ongoing to ensure that all culpable persons were brought to justice.
The statement, also stressed how Monday Agbonika, Commissioner of Police, visited a man identified as 32-year-old Osagie Abraham, who was shot during the protest, and is presently receiving medical attention at a medical centre in Ekpoma.
It said: “He has ordered the immediate and thorough investigation of the incident. Meanwhile, the military personnel involved in the shooting incident has been identified, while the appropriate military authorities have been formally notified for necessary administrative and disciplinary action in line with established protocols.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, reiterates that it is the constitutional right of citizens to engage in lawful protest and freely express their grievances. However, such protests must always be conducted peacefully, responsibly, and without infringing on the rights, safety, and property of other members of the public.”
Addressing the concerns raised by residents regarding the incidence of kidnapping, the Commissioner of Police assured the public that the Edo State Police Command was deploying intensified intelligence-led operations, strategic patrols, and targeted tactical interventions to decisively curb kidnapping across Edo State, including Ekpoma.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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