The House of Representatives has urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to as a matter of urgency, step up actions in curtailing the incidents of kidnapping and banditry in Owan Federal Constituency and the country at large.
The House also urged the executive arm of government to initiate a holistic, implementable strategy including immediate recruitment of officers, deployment of personnel, support for vigilante groups and local hunters as well as dialogue with critical stakeholders to immediately address the incessant kidnappings and abductions in the area.
The resolution came on the heels of a motion titled “Motion on the urgent Need to Beef-Up Security in Owan Federal Constituency to Mitigate the Increase in Kidnapping Activities”, moved by Hon. Julius O. Ihonvbere representing the zone.
Presenting the motion, Ihonvbere stated that Owan Federal Constituency comprising Owan East and West Local Government Areas of Edo State were currently besieged by kidnappers.
He said the unhealthy development had posed a threat to the peaceful existence and security of lives and property in the constituency.
“As a border constituency with porous borders, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals fleeing from the actions of Amotekun in Ondo State have now fled into Owan Federal Constituency to continue their nefarious activities.
“The abduction and kidnapping have become more indiscriminate across the two local government areas as these criminal gangs view victims as a source of income and it is rather sad to note that the villagers have been largely ignored by the government.
“If this spate of kidnappings and abductions are not nipped in the bud, it poses the potential of crippling socio-economic activities in the constituency”.
The lawmaker recalled that on April 14, 2021, Dr. Blessing Aidenoje, a Medical Microbiologist at Ambrose Alli University, Edo State was abducted along Ozalla/Sabo Road in Owan West Local Government Area, while a Council worker and his child were abducted along Sabo/Uzebba Road and whisked off to unknown locations.
He noted that the Otuo/Ihievbe-Ogbe roads, as well as Uokha/Afuze roads in Owan East Local Government Area, had become the operational grounds of the kidnappers, who had made the villagers live in constant fear for their lives.
Recalling that Chapter 2, Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) stated that the security of lives and property was one of the primary responsibilities of the state, Ihonvbere stated that the phenomenon has led to numerous loss of lives across the country, largely due to lapses in our security network.
“The House is convinced that proactive rather than reactive measures would go a long way in mitigating insecurity in various parts of the country”, Ihonvbere said
