Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said his administration would not politicise security issues in the state.
Governor Obaseki added that efforts were being made to isolate and deal with the issues as they emerged so as to provide a lasting solution to security across the state.
The governor made the remark when he led heads of security agencies in the state on a fact-finding visit to Udo, Ovia southwest Local Government Area of the state.
At the Palace of the Iyase of Udo, His Royal Highness (HRH) Patrick Igbinidu, Obaseki, said: “We are on a fact-finding tour around some parts of the state today to access the security situation particularly as it relates to farmers and herders’ conflicts in the state.
“As a government, we do not believe that we should politicise security. It is important that we get the facts right and understand what exactly is going on. We had reports about the crisis or impending crisis around this axis.
“We have also had all sorts of anxieties. Well, I will call them speculations on social media about herdsmen being pushed off from neighboring states into this area and the escalating crisis or impending crisis.
“We have had situations that have resulted in conflicts between herders and farmers. Our position is that we have to manage this crisis carefully. As I said, we should not politicise the issues of herdsmen in our society.
“We do not accept the situation whereby anybody will be herding cattle with AK-47 rifles and other dangerous weapons. We also understand that there are bandits and criminals who pretend to be herders but undertake criminal activities such as kidnapping in the name and guise of being herdsmen.
“I have always argued that we should separate these people and deal with each one accordingly. Today, we are here to undertake assessments ourselves and to assure the people of Ovia South West of adequate security being provided by the government to protect the people.”
“The state government is providing adequate security to protect the lives and property of the people. The security structure of the state has been rigid and revamped.
“We will not also accept the situation where people want to use the current security challenges to destabilise our country. We have no other country. Every country has its own challenges but they look for ways to resolve these challenges.
“We have major security challenges in the country as well as the whole of the Sahara region. I think leadership in this country should be responsible and ensure that we focus on the specific crisis, some of which is not anybody’s doing.”
According to the governor,
“Some of the crisis we have in the sub-continent today has to do with environmental changes. We should all come together and look for ways to confront these emerging security problems and not to begin to take it out of context because of cheap political gains to create a crisis in the country.”
Earlier, Igbinidu, said that the security challenges in his community have been on for a very long time, adding,
“Farmers always complain about the activities of the herdsmen. When I received such reports, I had to call both parties to resolve the issues immediately. We have been on it for a very long time.”
