By Chimezie Godfrey
Residents of Uma, also known as Imoga community, in Akoko Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, have raised fresh alarm over worsening insecurity, alleging persistent kidnappings, ransom taking, violent attacks, and destructive open grazing activities linked to armed herders and criminal gangs operating within their forests.
The community, through the Umakhafe Steering Committee, made the appeal in a detailed petition addressed to Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North Senatorial District.
The petition described the security situation in the agrarian community as dire and unbearable, warning that continued government inaction could trigger anarchy and self-help reactions among frustrated youths.
According to the community leaders, criminal activities allegedly linked to illegal herders and kidnappers have persisted in the area since 2016, with the situation worsening in recent years.
“Our community forests at all the cardinal points have become the dens of kidnappers, ransom taking and illegal herders’ settlement camps whose mindless open grazing activities have unleashed untold ruins, assaults and tragedies on our people,” the petition stated.
The community disclosed that several petitions had earlier been submitted to security agencies, the Edo State Government, and other authorities over the years without significant intervention.
The group recalled that in 2025, angry youths considered storming the forests to confront suspected criminal elements but were restrained by community leaders and elites in the diaspora to avoid violence and breakdown of law and order.
Instead, the community said it pursued lawful channels by petitioning the Police Area Command in Igarra and later Zone 5 Headquarters in Benin over allegations against suspected collaborators and landlords of herders operating in the forests.
The petition claimed that several kidnapping incidents have since occurred within the community and surrounding areas.
The group cited the abduction of two brothers in November 2025 and the kidnapping of eight persons along the Ibillo-Imoga Road in January 2026, where a ransom of N20 million was allegedly paid before the victims regained freedom after two weeks in captivity.
It further alleged that another attempted abduction occurred a day after the release of the eight victims, while cases of rape, assaults, and destruction of farmlands have continued unabated.
The community also referenced the alleged kidnapping of a cattle buyer on April 19, 2026, during which one suspected kidnapper was reportedly arrested after the victim escaped and raised alarm.
Following the incident, the youths of the community reportedly mobilised to force the evacuation of more than 20 herders’ camps from parts of the forest.
The petition claimed the exercise was conducted peacefully without destruction of property or violent clashes.
The community, however, warned that some camps allegedly occupied by armed elements still remain within the western axis of the forest and may pose serious threats if not urgently dismantled.
The community leaders appealed to Senator Oshiomhole to intervene by facilitating the deployment of anti-kidnapping squads, ensuring prosecution of arrested suspects, and establishing additional security formations within the area.
Among other requests, the community asked for the establishment of a police station in Imoga, a military checkpoint between Imoga and Okengwen in Kogi State, and increased recruitment of local youths into the Edo Vigilante Network.
The petition was jointly signed by members of the Umakhafe Steering Committee led by Prince Philip Damissah and other community leaders.
Edo Community Cries Out Over Rising Kidnappings, Herdsmen Attacks
