CSOs Slam Edo Govt’s Silence Over NSCDC Killings, Mass Abductions

Civil society organisations in Edo State have criticised the government for maintaining silence more than 24 hours after a deadly wave of attacks left eight operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) dead and scores of passengers kidnapped.

On Friday, September 5, suspected kidnappers struck twice within hours. At about 4:30 p.m., passengers aboard a New Edo Line Transport Company bus were abducted along the Sobe–Afuze–Auchi Road in Owan West Local Government Area. Later that night, gunmen attacked the BUA Cement Company in Okpella, Etsako East LGA, killing NSCDC operatives and abducting a Chinese expatriate. Despite the gravity of the incidents, no statement has been issued by Governor Monday Okpebholo, the Commissioner for Information, or any of the governor’s media aides. Families of the victims and survivors currently receiving treatment in undisclosed hospitals have also received no official sympathy.

Observers note that this is not the first time the state government has been accused of delayed responses. Earlier in February, when suspected militias invaded Ovia South-West LGA, killing over 27 farmers, it took the governor nearly two weeks to visit the communities and commiserate with victims’ families.

The recent killings and abductions have sparked widespread anger among citizens and civil society groups, with calls for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity in Edo. The Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), in a statement signed by its Assistant Secretary-General, Aliyu Umweni, urged the governor to prioritize security over politics. “The governor should bother less about the 2027 elections and focus on protecting lives with the monthly security votes,” the statement read. The group demanded the procurement of modern surveillance equipment and the creation of a special squad to hunt down kidnappers, warning that it would mobilize citizens for a mass protest if the government fails to act within 48 hours.

The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights also described the situation as intolerable, urging the Federal Government to deploy a joint military-police-citizens task force to comb forests and flush out kidnappers. In a statement signed by Coordinator-General Marxist Kola Edokpayi and Secretary-General Aghatise Raphael, the group said Edo has become a tragic theatre of insecurity where fear rules and citizens’ lives are treated with shocking disregard. It accused the state leadership of prioritising politics over safety, questioning the whereabouts and plans of key security chiefs, and warning that citizens’ lives must not become collateral damage in political games.

The coalition listed a string of recent attacks across the state, including the abduction of Catholic seminarians who remain in captivity after 50 days, the kidnapping of doctors along the Benin–Auchi Road, farmers taken from their farmlands, and the abduction of community leaders in Ekpoma and Akoko Edo. “No one is safe—farmers, priests, commuters, professionals. The people gave their mandate not for Edo to become a playground for kidnappers, but for their protection,” the statement added.

Other voices have also condemned the silence of the government and the rising insecurity, including former commissioner Ogbeide Ifaluyi-Isibor, former Etsako vice chairman Hon. Jelil Ainakhuagbor, Elder Curtis Eghosa Ugbo, and the group Gidigba. Across the board, citizens and civil society organisations are demanding urgent, concrete action: a coordinated security strategy, redeployment of security forces to hot spots, investment in surveillance technology, and accountability from the state government.

As the silence from the government lingers, civil society insists the time for rhetoric is over. “The people of Edo will not bow to kidnappers. The government must act now.”