The Convener of the Esan Worldwide Community, Aigbokhan Oseremen, has urged the Edo State Government to introduce measures requiring non-indigenes to obtain official permits before settling in local communities.
Oseremen made the call during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, where he stressed the need for closer monitoring of people living in rural areas.
“This is what the government should do and they should start doing it now, which is for anybody to reside in our villages or bushes, there should be a kind of permit and those people should be watched,” Oseremen said.
The EWC leader further alleged that a significant number of herders operating in the area pose serious security threats, describing many of them as dangerous elements.
“The government also needs to make sure that the Fulani herdsmen are known, so somebody would not just be living in a place without knowing who they are. Many of them are real terrorists.
“If you go to Uromi market, you’d see a lot of Fulani herdsmen, trailers bringing them into the land every single day.
“Trailer loads of bandits, terrorists, or Fulani herdsmen are being shipped into the land. When you bring these people into the land with no job for them, the next thing they go into is banditry, kidnapping,” he stated.
He warned that the settlement pattern of the herders poses grave risks to local residents, noting that their families often live with them in isolated areas.
According to him, the herders “have kids, their wives, their families, which is something that is very dangerous for the villagers because from those bushes, they come out to attack”.
Speaking on the growing insecurity and alleged collaboration by locals, Oseremen acknowledged that some indigenes are involved in criminal activities alongside the herders.
On mounting fears over insecurity, he said, “I will not dispute the fact that we have our people with them.
“Sure a lot of our youths are with them, probably they are being enticed by the money and whatever so when you see cult people clashing in Ekpoma and so, some of these cult boys are affiliated to them, which makes it very difficult because when you have some of the villagers who are aiding and are bathing in crime. This is a problem for the government.”
He emphasized that proper identification and monitoring would help curb the situation and also called for the removal of illegal structures in forested areas.
“If this profiling is being done, it will reduce, and lastly, those bushes where the hut is being designed should be destroyed,” Oseremen added.
His comments came against the backdrop of a protest that erupted on Saturday in parts of Edo Central, following reports of increasing cases of kidnapping and killings in the area.
A viral video from the protest showed residents demonstrating over the insecurity, while individuals suspected to be cattle breeders were seen fleeing a local market as the protesters approached.
Oseremen’s remarks reflect broader concerns among Edo residents about the growing presence of Fulani herdsmen who are believed to have settled deep within communities and are allegedly involved in violent attacks.
Responding to the concerns, the Edo State Government assured residents that steps are being taken to address the situation and restore security.
“The solution is simple: identify where they are in the forest and dislodge them from there, and technology-driven strategies are being implemented, and very shortly we will see these things come to an end,” the Special Adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Media and Publicity, Bugie Okhuemoi, told Channels Television on Monday.
“There are serious strategies on the ground and in place that will be activated very soon. In fact, they have already been activated, but in a very short while, we will see the effect,” he added.
