Auchi Youths Protest Ravaging Gully Erosion, Kidnapping

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Youths in Auchi, the administrative headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, on Monday, staged a peaceful protest over the gully erosion ravaging the community and incessant kidnapping of people in the area.

The youths converged at the popular Jattu Junction with their placards, calling on the government to address the gully erosion and incessant kidnapping in the community.

The youths, under the umbrella of Auchi Youth Council (AYC), blocked the Jattu axis of the Benin-Auchi road to draw the attention of government to their problem.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Chalaman Momoh, told journalists that the protest was to draw the attention of government and relevant authorities to the gullies and incessant kidnapping in the community.

Momoh said, “We are here to cry out to the government on the issue of gully erosion that is ravaging our community.

“We have written to the government and we have not gotten response.

“We are also having the issue of kidnapping every day. We have these kidnappers going into the homes of our people in the community and picking them unhindered.

“So, we are here to show solidarity and we are calling on government to come to Auchi to salvage the gully erosion menace and put an end to the incessant kidnapping of our people in the community.”

Coordinator, Edo Take It Back Movement, Mr. Hafiz Lawal, said no fewer than 15 persons in Auchi had been kidnapped with over N70 million paid as ransom.

Lawal, who is also Coordinator of Coalition for Edo North Youths for Good Governance (CENYGG), listed the gully erosion sites as Utsokhwilli gully, water tanker road, and Auchi-Igarra road.

Lawal stated that the protest, tagged, “Fix erosion ravaging Auchi and incessant kidnapping,” was to draw government attention to their demands.

“The demands we are placing before government is the erosion ravaging Auchi, and the issue of insecurity, with 15 persons from Auchi so far kidnapped,” he added.

Commuters and motorists were stranded at the Jattu junction on Benin-Auchi-Okene highway with a significant number of heavy duty trucks, smaller vehicles, motorcycles, and commuters on long queues at the junction.

Security personnel from the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Army, and Special Security Force were on ground to ensure law and order during the protest.