Prisoners’ Escape: Obaseki Laments Over Insecurity In Edo

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Friday expressed worries over the height of insecurity within the state after the escape of about 2,000 prisoners.

Ekohotblog gathered over 2,000 prisoners had escaped from correctional centres in the state during the #EndSARS protests.

Obaseki who lamented over the rate of insecurity within the state in his New Year broadcast, however, assured that the state government was building a robust security system to deal with the situation.

He further urged citizens and the private sector to support the government’s efforts, adding that he was emplacing deep-rooted reforms to engender sustainable development.

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He said, “The social and economic tension emanating from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the #EndSARS protests and its aftermath, which resulted in jailbreaks in Oko and Sapele Road, Benin City. Almost 2,000 prisoners escaped from these facilities and this has compounded the security situation in the state, which we are now dealing with.

“We are building a robust security system to deal with the peculiar challenges that we now face. We are essentially evolving a public safety system that is anchored on citizen participation with a bottom-up structure, such that citizens are actively engaged in protecting and securing their immediate communities in collaboration with the government.”