Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said the state will not be forced by criminal elements and organised crime overlords to the negotiation table, stressing that law and order, as well as the liberty of the ordinary law-abiding Edo citizens and residents, are not for sale.

Obaseki, who called on Edo people to remain calm but vigilant, noted that an elaborate scheme was being finalised to rein in the orchestrators of the recent violence, bring them to justice and restore sustainable peace and safety in the state.

According to Obaseki, “Edo people, the majority of whom are law-abiding, should be rest assured that the promise to restore sanity to the state have been fulfilled. The state government would never return to the old order. The oppressive actions of different groups who had been fattened over the years by extorting honest and hardworking people in the name of revenue collection have been curbed. No matter the amount of pushback from perpetrators, they remain dislodged and would not have any reason to harass honest traders, citizens, and other residents.”

He said it was regrettable that the perpetrators of criminal activities had lived on the proceeds of crime, oppression, and extortion so much so that they have forgotten how to earn a living through honest means, noting that the state government intends to teach them how to do honest work and earn a living in the process.

“We are opening up various sectors of the economy to ensure that jobs are available to both the skilled, semi-skilled and even the unskilled. We are also building vocational and technical training institutions where these people will be directed and trained for free in order to reintegrate them into the society where people live off the fruit of their daily labour in legitimate enterprises,” the governor said.

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