Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State on Friday said the escape of about 2,000 prisoners from correctional centres in the state during the #EndSARS protests led to the worsening insecurity situation in the state.
The governor however noted that his administration would do everything possible to nip the ugly situation in the bud.
Obaseki said this in his New Year broadcast.
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.”
He added that the government would be launching the operation ‘Know Your Neighbour,’ campaign, where citizens would be requested to provide information on the identities of all those who lived close to them.
He also called on the citizens to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols.
