The Edo State High Court, Criminal Court 2, has ordered the remand of some youths involved in the protest that rocked the Ekpoma area of the state at the Ubiaja Correctional Centre.

This followed the plea of the prosecution for a 14-day remand period.

Our correspondent observed that some of the protesters and their relatives, who were present at the court, wailed as those arrested were moved into a waiting vehicle.

Angry youths had last weekend demonstrated against the spate of kidnapping and other forms of insecurity in the town located in the Esan West Local Government Area.

A viral video showed some residents in the Edo Central region of the state protesting the rising kidnappings and killings.

The video also showed some people, suspected to be cattle breeders, fleeing a market upon sighting some protesters.

Protest Was Hijacked — Police

The police said they had swiftly intervened to restore peace and public safety when the protest was “hijacked”.

In a statement on Sunday, it said that upon the commencement of the protest on Saturday, the Area Commander, Ekpoma, immediately mobilised police personnel in strategic collaboration with sister security agencies to ensure that the protest remained peaceful, orderly, and within the confines of the law.

“Regrettably, the protest was hijacked, and all the rules of peaceful protest were ignored, which led to incidents, including malicious damages, looting of property, vandalisation of shops, as well as a military personnel discharging firearms at a protester,” the statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eno Ikoedem, partly read.

In response to the sudden escalation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, promptly led additional tactical reinforcements from the State Command Headquarters, Benin to Ekpoma to reinforce operational control, restore public order, and prevent further degeneration of the situation.

It said that through coordinated deployments, strategic positioning of personnel, and professional crowd control measures, normalcy was swiftly restored across the affected areas.

The police also stated that those who engaged in acts of “violence, vandalism, and looting” were identified and arrested, while thorough investigations were ongoing to ensure that all culpable persons were brought to justice.

Youth Shot

According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, visited a man identified as 32-year-old Osagie Abraham, who was shot during the protest, and is presently receiving medical attention at a medical centre in Ekpoma.

“He has ordered the immediate and thorough investigation of the incident.

“Meanwhile, the military personnel involved in the shooting incident has been identified, while the appropriate military authorities have been formally notified for necessary administrative and disciplinary action in line with established protocols.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, reiterates that it is the constitutional right of citizens to engage in lawful protest and freely express their grievances.

“However, such protests must always be conducted peacefully, responsibly, and without infringing on the rights, safety, and property of other members of the public,” it added.

Addressing the concerns raised by residents regarding the incidence of kidnapping, the Commissioner of Police assured the public that the Edo State Police Command was deploying intensified intelligence-led operations, strategic patrols, and targeted tactical interventions to decisively curb kidnapping across Edo State, including Ekpoma.

Insecurity

There are concerns among some Edo residents over the presence of herders said to have settled deep into communities and accused of attacking villagers.

The Convener, Esan Worldwide Community, Aigbokhan Oseremen, has called on the Edo State Government to ensure that outsiders obtain permits before settling in communities.

“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 during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday.

The EWC leader also alleged that “many” of the herders are “real terrorists”.

“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.

But the state government said the matter would be dealt with in a short while.

“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. (Channels TV)

•PHOTO: Some of the protesters and their relatives, who were present at the court, wailed as those arrested were moved into a waiting vehicle. (Channels TV photo)