ON September 7th, 2024, at a campaign turf in Ovia-North East, Governor Monday Okpebholo was caught on video saying, “We’re going to provide you with insecurity…”. That was the moment concerns were raised about his ability to provide effective leadership and his capability to govern intrinsically and committedly, should he become the governor of the state.
Since Okpebholo took office, I’m not sure of any practical or practicable security measures taken to curtain the murderous herders across the swathe of the state, apart from the procurement of numerous vehicles for security agencies and the amendments of the anti-cultism laws in Edo State.
The governor may have had a poor or bleak appraisal of the security challenges that’s not grounded in reality in the state’s misery index as terrorists keep murdering farmers on an episodic scale, never experienced in the past in Edo State.
Only last week, Mr. Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole on the floor of the Senate told Nigerians that one of the 18 local government areas in the state has been overran by kidnappers: Fulani herders, bandits and Boko Haram terrorists.
“It is more correct to say that the entire Edo State is under siege by bandits; by terrorists and by herders. ” We have terrible pictures of people who have been murdered in cold blood, including men and women.
He added, “Just last week, Governor Monday Okpebholo told me that one of the local government areas is now unaccessible as a result of the level of banditry.”.
Every sober observer in the state who is familiar with the remorseless bloodstained mass murderers’ tactics and who have been swimming in the oceans of blood without protection, compensation or mollification for the victims knows that the government’s present approach remained a wooden-headed policy of romanticizing with homicidal herders.
Regrettably, Okpebholo or Edo State is not the only one grappling with the question of what to do with the radicalized terrorists who have been stewing over their paranoia, having tagged everyone else as infidel. Since the Nigerian government has refused to come up with a design to jolt terrorists back from the precipice of fatal extremism, Governor Okpebholo has a choice to either adopt the radical and multifaceted approach to stamping out terrorism or he will continue to govern over the graves of his own people.
To address the issue of insecurity in Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo can consider the following strategies, namely reinstating and strengthening security agencies beyond the purchase of vehicles. Interestingly, he has taken a step in this direction by lifting the ban on the Edo State Security Network (Vigilante Group) and setting up the Edo Security Corps. He has declared war on cultism and violent crimes as a major positive step towards addressing insecurity, too.
Strictly speaking, the long-term solution is the improvement of infrastructure and this will help reduce crime rates by increasing visibility and accessibility to farmlands by opening up community access roads. The report that the governor has earmarked N70 billion for agriculture in the 2025 budget to address food insecurity and reduce the likelihood of crime is enliven, but the funds will be wasted without a well-thought-out strategy that incorporates the input of critical stakeholders across the state.
First, the government should explore modern predictive analytics strategies to combat terrorism in the state by utilizing machine learning algorithms to analyze patterns and trends in terrorist activities, allowing for proactive measures to prevent attacks and killings in Edo Forest. It also involves intelligence gathering and this has to do with the employment of powerful tools to gather and analyze intelligence from various sources, such as social media, surveillance cameras, as well as human informants.
Second, is to monitor and recognize faces of terrorists via facial recognition devices to identify and track suspected herders and terrorists. This can be much easier to resolve when you engage chatbots and virtual assistant systems. The sophisticated system helps you to engage with citizens, gather information, and provide critical alerts and updates within and outside local communities.
With the aid of cybernetic-enhanced surveillance systems, one can monitor and track terrorist activities in real-time and much of the state’s security challenges would be resolved, using drones and robots to conduct surveillance to detect terrorist camps and respond to terrorist threats immediately.
Lastly is the integrated approach. The government must make deliberate efforts to foster collaboration between law enforcement agencies, intelligence services, and other stakeholders to share information and coordinate the fight against terrorism. Also, Edo citizens and farmers can be engaged through awareness campaigns, education, and outreach programs to encourage reporting of suspicious activities and promote community-led initiatives.
With this integrated approach, Governor Okpebholo can enhance the security landscape in Edo State and effectively combat Fulani herders without self-fulfilling his earlier promise of “unleashing insecurity” on the state.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com
