Edo Assembly urges farm settlements in Udo forest to combat kidnapping crisis

The Edo State House of Assembly has called on Governor Monday Okpebholo to establish farm settlements in Udo forest, which has gained notoriety as a hideout for kidnappers and armed criminals.The appeal came on Tuesday during plenary, following a motion of urgent public importance raised by Honourable Eugene Inegbeboh (PDP – Igueben), who lamented the death of Mr Moses Ehijie. Ehijie was killed while attempting to rescue eight kidnap victims from the forest, a region increasingly plagued by insecurity.

Describing the situation as deeply troubling, Inegbeboh said that although kidnapping remained a widespread national problem, rural communities across Edo State were bearing the brunt of the violence.He stressed that Udo residents, many of whom are farmers and key contributors to the state’s agricultural sector, deserved robust protection from such threats.“Late Moses Ehijie laid down his life while trying to rescue eight victims from the grip of kidnappers in Udo forest,” he told fellow lawmakers.



“He was overpowered and killed by the armed men. His family is devastated, they’ve lost their primary provider. He leaves behind a pregnant wife and three young children, all under the age of five.

”Inegbeboh recounted further recent attacks linked to the same group of criminal herders. One such incident involved Mr Godfrey Isabu’s son from Idi Akhimin Udo, who sustained a gunshot wound to the arm and is now receiving treatment at Irrua Specialist Hospital.In another attack on April 26, five people—one mother and her four children—were ambushed in Udoneria.

One fatality was recorded as a result of gunshot wounds.The lawmaker appealed to the governor to offer the widow of Moses Ehijie a position within the state’s public service to help ease the family’s financial burden. He also requested that the fallen hero be posthumously honoured for his courage and selflessness in attempting to save others.

Additionally, Inegbeboh proposed that members of local vigilante groups and the hunters’ union be formally enlisted into the Edo Security Corps. This, he argued, would not only improve community-based intelligence and defence but also provide the volunteers with regular salaries and institutional support.Other lawmakers joined in expressing sympathy with the people of Udo, urging the state government to deploy security forces to comb through the forests in Esan land and root out the criminal elements terrorising local communities.

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