By Jethro Ibileke
The Edo State Government on Wednesday announced that it has recruited 500 Forest Guards to secure the state’s forests and farmlands.
The State Commissioner for Public Security and Safety, Festus Ebea, disclosed this at a joint press briefing held in Benin, with the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, and the Commissioner for Transportation, Saturday Uwuilekhue.
Ebea disclosed that an additional 500 personnel would be added to the recruitment list soon in line with a directive from the National Security Adviser to President Bola Tinubu.
According to the former state lawmaker, offices for the guards would be located in Edo forests with special attention to forests in bordering states of Kogi, Ondo, Delta an some special areas in Etsako and Akoko-Edo where there are lots of mineral resources.
“These guard offices will be in the bushes of Edo State. Based on the area, special attention is given to some neighbouring communities where we have the influx and attacks in the bushes of neighbouring states like Kogi, Ondo.
“We are also paying special attention to some local governments, such as Akoko-Edo, where you have so many mineral deposits, and of course, Etsako East and Etsako West, where we have the Igbira camp and the two Ovia, where we have people from the other end who use the waterways to infiltrate and take residents of the state hostage. Of course, every part of the state would be captured.
“On Saturday, I received a call from the presidency that Edo should increase its number from 500 to 1000, and we are implementing that soon,” Ebea stated.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, reacted to criticism on the concentration of many projects in Udomi, the hometown of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
“That particular axis, because it’s neighbouring closely with Delta State, and essentially, you know, occupying a very large expanse of uninhabited land, kidnapping became so rampant in that place, so we needed to generate activity. And that was part of the reason and the rationale for putting a barrack in that place, to checkmate all of that, and also to put a school of nursing and health technology.
“So, by the time activities are taking off in that area, the issue of kidnapping would be a thing of the past. And we are achieving that result already. I just needed to give that clarification,” he explained.
On his part, the Commissioner for Transport, Saturday Uwuilekhue, said the state government had procured an additional 50 buses to the existing 100 buses of New Edo Line to ease the residents of Edo inter-state mobility.
Besides, he said the State Government has also procured 50 CNG buses to enhance intra-city transportation in the state.
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