Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has warned kidnappers, cultists and other criminal elements operating in the state that his administration will take drastic measures to curb their activities, including the establishment of a special court for speedy prosecution.
The governor said the proposed court would be designed to conclude trials of suspected kidnappers and cultists within two weeks, after which execution warrants would be signed without delay upon conviction.
Okpebholo issued the warning on Thursday at the headquarters of the Edo State Police Command, where the police paraded suspected kidnappers, including those allegedly involved in last Sunday’s abduction of a woman at the popular Vegetable Market, off Airport Road, Benin City.
According to the governor, his administration would not allow criminals to overrun the state or take his simplicity for granted.
“We are going to set up a special court to prosecute kidnappers and cultists. Within two weeks, the court is done with the proceedings. I will sign your execution. We will take you to Ring Road roundabout so that Edo people can watch. I will have no regret about it. Don’t take my simplicity for granted,” Okpebholo warned.
He said the kidnap incident at the market was unacceptable and that he immediately directed the Commissioner of Police to ensure that those behind the crime were arrested.
“Something very terrible happened on Sunday and I called the Commissioner of Police and I told him that whoever committed that crime of kidnapping inside Benin City must be arrested,” he said.
The governor commended the police for arresting the suspects within 24 hours, adding that the ransom money allegedly used to track them was also recovered.
“Within 24 hours, those guys were caught. The money with which they pretended they wanted to pay ransom was also recovered, which was used to trace them. In the process, there was an exchange of gunfire and one of them was killed, two are still at large and one is here,” he said.
Okpebholo praised the police, Army and Department of State Services for their joint efforts in tackling insecurity in the state.
“You can see that the police are working, the Army is working, the DSS are working,” he added.
Impressed by the operation, the governor announced a ₦10 million reward for the police officers who participated in the arrest of the suspects.
Also paraded by the Edo State Police Command were suspected kidnappers allegedly operating along the Benin–Lagos Highway, a woman accused of faking her own kidnap to extort money from family members, and other suspects linked to criminal activities in the state.
Okpebholo assured residents that his administration, working with security agencies, would continue to make Edo State uncomfortable for kidnappers, cultists and other criminals.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has denied reports that some schools in Sabongida Ora, headquarters of Owan West Local Government Area of the state, were invaded by suspected kidnappers.
The Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, said the rumours were false and warned members of the public against spreading fake news capable of causing panic.
According to him, the command had proactively deployed officers to the affected areas after receiving the reports, only to discover that the information was untrue.
“Let me use this opportunity to warn the public that we have been having very serious concerns about fake news. Just this morning, there were information that some schools were being attacked in different parts of the state,” Agbonika said.
“And when we conducted our enquiries, we found out that they were all fake news. Even though before then, proactively, we had deployed men to those areas and that was why we were able to find out very quickly that the information was not correct.
“It got to a point that parents were going to withdraw their children from these schools. People must desist from this,” he added.
The police commissioner also warned against the rising cases of self-kidnapping in the state, describing it as a criminal offence with serious legal consequences.
“The issue of self-kidnapping is also rearing its ugly head in the state and I want to warn members of the public that these are crimes punishable by law,” he said.
Agbonika urged residents to verify information before sharing it, noting that fake news often spreads because people repost unverified claims.
“They must cross-check their information before they repost, because this information will not go viral if it is not reposted by others,” he warned.
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