Reps urge deployment of security forces to Edo communities

The House of Representatives has urged the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Adeola Ajayi, to urgently deploy personnel to tackle the growing insecurity in the Itsukwi, Imiakebu, Imiegba, and Okpekpe communities in the Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.

The House’s resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency, Edo State, Mr Billy Osawaru.

Titled “Urgent need to deploy security agents to Itsukwi, Imiegba, Okpekpe, and Imiakebu communities to halt herdsmen’s onslaught against innocent citizens”, the motion was unanimously supported by the lawmakers present at Thursday’s plenary.

Urging his colleagues for support, Osawaru, a member of the All Progressives Congress, drew attention to the provision of Section 14(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which underscores the need for the government to provide security and welfare for the people.

He also referenced Section 33(1) of Chapter 4 of the Constitution, which states, “Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, except in the execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.”

“The House is aware that on Monday, October 28, 2024, herdsmen invaded Ugbereke, a well-known farmland, destroying the yam plantation of a youth leader in Itsukwi community (Ward 9, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State), Mr Samuel Igbeneghu,” Osawaru said.

“The House is also concerned that on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, three farmers – Umuagene Obey, Emuesugheli Obi, and Ogbitabu Imoudumhe – all from Okpekpe community (Ward 10, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State), were ambushed on their way to their farms and brutally murdered by suspected herdsmen.”

“On the same day, the killers moved to Ugbereke and killed one Undyar Aondongu, while five women were beaten and forced to flee with varying degrees of injury,” he added.

The APC lawmaker pointed out that as a result of these violent attacks, “farmers in these communities are too afraid to visit their farms.”

He warned that if the Federal Government fails to take urgent action to address the crisis, “acute hunger due to food scarcity will be the natural consequence, not just for the people of the area, but for the entire Etsako East Local Government Area and, by extension, Edo State as a whole.”

Following the adoption of the motion, the House presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, observed a minute of silence in honour of the deceased and directed the immediate deployment of security agents to the four communities.

The House also mandated the IGP and other relevant security agencies to investigate “this tragic incident and apprehend the perpetrators for prosecution,” while calling for an immediate increase in security surveillance to prevent further escalation of insecurity within the communities and beyond.

The motion was referred to the House Committees on the Army, Police, National Intelligence, and Legislative Compliance, with a four-week timeframe to report for further action.