The Edo State Commissioner for Public Safety and Security, Festus Ebea, has alleged that some residents are involved in bringing herders into the state who later engage in kidnapping and other criminal activities.
He made the statement on Wednesday in Benin during the monthly briefing organised by the Ministry of Information and Strategy.
Ebea said security agencies have observed a pattern in which some individuals recruit herders from outside the state under the guise of cattle rearing, but later use them for criminal operations.
He also alleged that some residents provide shelter for the groups and assist them in identifying potential targets.
“From our security lenses, we have found out that some of our youths now keep herdsmen and the terrorists in their houses and point out to them where there is business to do,” he said.
According to him, some suspects already in custody have confessed to being brought into the state by local collaborators.
“Both the accomplices and kidnappers have confessed to how they were brought in and housed,” he added.
Ebea said the state government is expanding its security architecture to address the situation, particularly in forested areas.
He disclosed that 500 forest guards are currently undergoing training to secure forests across Edo State, with an additional 500 approved by the federal government to strengthen surveillance and response operations.
