Okpebholo warns residents against recruiting criminals to terrorise Edo

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has issued a stern warning against the recruitment of criminals from outside the state to perpetrate kidnappings and other violent acts. He stated that such actions undermine the government's security improvement efforts. The governor made these remarks while addressing participants at the 2026 Ministers’ Conference organized by the Edo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Benin City.

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Our people are now going outside Edo to recruit criminals to help them do the job. They will kidnap somebody and hand the victim over to them in the bush.

Okpebholo acknowledged that insecurity remains a concern in Edo State. However, he accused some individuals of deliberately exaggerating incidents and spreading false information on social media to tarnish his administration's image. Investigations by security agencies, he revealed, show that local collaborators are facilitating criminal activities by recruiting armed gangs from outside Edo for kidnappings.

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Tomorrow you will see them driving expensive cars and building houses. How are they getting these things? They will tell you they are Yahoo boys.

"Our people are now going outside Edo to recruit criminals to help them do the job. They will kidnap somebody and hand the victim over to them in the bush," the governor stated. He expressed concern over the growing involvement of local accomplices, noting that some individuals acquire wealth without visible means of livelihood, attributing it to "Yahoo boys" (internet fraudsters).

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Pastors, if you hear that I have arrested somebody, don’t come to beg me.

The governor urged religious leaders not to interfere in the prosecution of arrested individuals, insisting that his administration would not tolerate attempts to shield suspects from justice. "Pastors, if you hear that I have arrested somebody, don’t come to beg me," he declared. While admitting that Edo is not entirely free of security challenges, Okpebholo maintained that the situation is being overstated by political opponents. He assured residents that security agencies are working diligently to tackle criminality and prevent armed groups from gaining a foothold in the state.

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All of this is just to bring this government down, to give it a bad name. It is not that we are free, but not in the way they are hyping it.