In a renewed effort to enhance security across Edo State, the state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government has finalised arrangements to recruit new Forest Police Officers.

He said documentation and audit of the state forests is already on in order to achieve this feat.

Obaseki disclosed this at a Special Security Council Meeting with relevant stakeholders in Edo South senatorial district held at the Government House in Benin-city.

The governor also held similar meetings with stakeholders in Edo North and Edo Central senatorial district to review security strategies and mechanisms to tackle insecurity in the state.

Obaseki said the government in partnership with relevant stakeholders is strengthening the security architecture and adopting various measures to sustain security in the state, including bush combing, registration of motorbikes and marketplaces, signing of the anti-grazing laws, residents’ registration among others.

He said: “The responsibility of any government in any society is to guarantee the security and safety of the people. No government can call itself a government if it cannot protect and secure the lives of the people that it oversees.

“That is why for us in Edo State, given what is going on in the country today, we have decided that security is now our number one priority. Also, we have completed documentation and audit of all our forests in Edo State, particularly in Edo South.

“We have done a complete assessment of all our forests, and as we speak, we have set up a new forestry commission. Our forestry laws that have not been updated for more than 50 years have now been updated. And part of the provisions of the law is that we will now re-energise the institution of forest guards.”

The governor added: “We are currently in discussion with the Federal Ministry of Environment and some other stakeholders to begin the recruitment of the first set of the new Forest Police, as we will call them to support the activities of all the other security agencies.”

On strengthening of the local government to support the state government efforts to sustain security across the state, Obaseki noted that: “In terms of squatters in markets, we are going to enforce the local government laws which stipulate that it is only the local government that is entitled to register markets and shut down illegal markets.

“Any place where trading is currently taking place today and such a place has not been registered will be immediately shut down.” (THISDAY)

Update news