Speaker Abbas Backs Call For Federal Intervention Against Rising Wave Of Killings in Edo
By Osehobo Ofure, Benin City
Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas on Wednesday called on the Federal government to address escalating insecurity in Edo State.
The speaker made the appeal as the house deliberated on a motion raised by Marcus Onobun, the lawmaker representing Esan West, Esan Central, and Igueben Federal Constituency, highlighting the alarming spate of killings across the state.
Onobun decried the worsening security situation, emphasising that lives, businesses, and socio-economic activities were under serious threat.
He noted that while the bloodshed continued unchecked, the Edo State Government, led by Senator Monday Okpebholo, appeared overwhelmed by the crisis.
Citing Section 14(2b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,
Onobun underscored Edo State’s significance as the “heartbeat of the nation.”
He lamented that the state was “losing its pulse” due to incessant attacks by criminal elements.
The lawmaker referenced a report published in Leadership Newspaper on February 26, 2025, which documented over 32 deaths attributed to violent attacks in different parts of Edo.
He detailed specific incidents, including the murder of two indigenous residents in Okpekpe, the deaths of at least 28 persons in a clash between cocoa farmers and militants in Ovia South West, and the assassination of a vigilante leader in Owan West.
Expressing concern that the Edo State Government appeared unable to contain the situation, Onobun urged the federal government to intervene urgently.
He called on the House to resolve that the Inspector-General of Police deploy additional security personnel and enhance intelligence gathering to neutralise criminal flashpoints in the state.
