Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has alleged that some residents of the state are collaborating with criminal networks, including kidnappers, by recruiting external gangs and handing over victims for ransom operations.
The governor made the claim on Wednesday at the 2026 Ministers’ Conference organised by the Edo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benin City, where he raised concerns about ongoing insecurity in the state.
He said intelligence reports and recent security responses suggested that some residents actively support criminal operations, worsening the security situation.
“Our people are now going outside Edo to recruit criminals to help them do the job. They will kidnap somebody and hand the victim over to them in the bush,” the governor said.
He further alleged that individuals involved in such activities often disguise their source of wealth.
“Tomorrow you will see them driving expensive cars and building houses. How are they getting these things? They will tell you they are Yahoo Boys,” he added.
Okpebholo also referenced a recent report of an incident along Sapele Road that led him to deploy security operatives, only for the situation to turn out to be false.
The governor urged religious leaders not to intervene on behalf of persons arrested for criminal offences.
“Pastors, if you hear that I have arrested somebody, don’t come to beg me,” he told the gathering.
While acknowledging that Edo State still faces security challenges, he insisted that some reports about the scale of insecurity were being exaggerated for political purposes.
“All of this is just to bring this government down, to give it a bad name. It is not that we are free, but not in the way they are hyping it,” he said.
Okpebholo assured residents that security agencies are actively working to prevent criminal groups from gaining a stronger foothold in the state.
He also used the occasion to request prayers for President Bola Tinubu, noting that the removal of fuel subsidy, though painful, was yielding visible development outcomes in Edo State.
Some clerics at the event commended the governor’s efforts in governance and security, praying for a successful tenure and improved development in the state.
They also praised ongoing rehabilitation work on the Benin–Sapele Road, describing it as a positive step for infrastructure development.
