The Senate yesterday asked the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, to deploy a special squad of security agencies to all the three senatorial districts of Edo State for adequate protection against attacks leading to loss of lives and properties.
In a resolutions following a motion on “Heinous attack on farming communities in Edo State: Urgent need for the federal government intervention” sponsored by Senator Ned Imasuen (LP Edo South), the Senate called for deployment of additional security personnel, including the military to restore and maintain law and order in the affected communities.
Presenting the motion, Senator Imasuen lamented “the brutal and coordinated assault on farming communities in Edo South Senatorial District of Edo State, an attack that resulted in significant loss of lives, grievous injuries, widespread destruction of property, and the mass displacement of residents fleeing for safety.”
According to him, assailants had on February 21, 2025 launched a violent attack on the agrarian in Ovia South West and Ovia North East Local Government Areas, especially in communities like Columbo Camp, Gbelamonten, Maridoti, and Siluko Ward, among other affected settlements leaving the inhabitants traumatized and dispossessed.
He said “reports attributed the attacks to armed militants from nearby creeks, who have allegedly been persistently accused of encroaching upon farmlands, looting produce, and unlawfully extorting farmers through coercion and intimidation.”
Senator Imasuen added that intelligence and eyewitness accounts suggest a deliberate pattern of aggression against these communities, warning that if unchecked, it might threaten food security, economic stability, and national cohesion.
Edo State Police Command, he said, has officially confirmed seven deaths and six casualties while local sources indicated a significantly higher number of fatalities, reflecting the urgency for comprehensive federal government intervention.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio sympathized with the families of the victims and urged urgent action by the ONSA, which he noted has been doing well on the security situation in the country.
