WORSENING INSECURITY IN EKPOMA

I write with a heavy heart, deep pain, and growing anger over the worsening insecurity in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State. What was once a peaceful university town has, in recent months, become a theatre of fear, bloodshed, and helplessness.

The recent wave of kidnappings and killings, some occurring within hours of each other, has shaken the very soul of the community. The tragic killing of a businessman who reportedly resisted abduction, alongside other incidents in areas such as GT Extension, Efe Block, and Ojo Street, underscores a frightening reality: nowhere is safe anymore. Homes are no longer sanctuaries. Roads are now ambush points. Even moments meant for joy, like family celebrations, are turning into scenes of mourning.

Ekpoma is not just any town, it is home to Ambrose Alli University, a centre of learning that should inspire hope and development. Instead, students now live in fear, parents worry endlessly, and academic life is being disrupted. Businesses are closing earlier than usual, farmers are abandoning their lands, and residents are trapped in a daily struggle between survival and despair.

What is even more troubling is that this is not a new crisis. Earlier protests in January reflected the people’s frustration, yet here we are again, counting bodies, negotiating ransoms, and issuing statements. While we acknowledge efforts by security agencies and the government under Monday Okpebholo, it is painfully clear that more decisive, intelligence-driven, and sustained action is urgently needed.

How many more lives must be lost before Ekpoma receives the protection it deserves? How many families must be torn apart? The silence of fear is gradually replacing the voice of a once-vibrant community.

This is a call to action. The federal government, Edo State government, security agencies, and all relevant stakeholders must treat the situation in Ekpoma as an emergency. We need visible policing, strengthened intelligence networks, community engagement, and swift justice for perpetrators. Anything less would be a betrayal of the people.
Elvis Eromosele, Ekpoma

Letter2

REDUCING THE SIZE OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM

Despite environmental concerns, some manufacturers are making bigger and bigger vehicles, especially work-related ones, but is there a limit?

A work vehicle I saw recently wouldn’t fit in a standard car park, too wide and too long, therefore taking up much of four spaces, hardly fair.

Another, unexpected but shameful, approach is the increasing number of large vehicles that are parked in handicapped parking spaces as they are the only spaces large enough to use. 

Governments that are concerned with pollution, and fairness, should restrict vehicle sizes to 90% of a car parks dimensions. It might also encourage some people, including myself, to go on a diet so we can get in and out easily.

Be a big enough person to use a small car.

Dennis Fitzgerald,

28 Landale St,

Box Hill, Vic, Australia