EDO COMMUNITY DENIES LINKS TO KIDNAPPERS, SEEKS GOV’S INTERVENTION

Residents of Olelo Community in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State have denied allegations linking the community to kidnapping activities, describing themselves as victims of the criminal gangs operating in the area.

In an open letter titled ‘A cry for help from the people of Olelo community: We are victims, not collaborators’ and addressed to the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, the community urged the state government to strengthen security around the Erah–Afuze–Olelo corridor and the Government Forest Reserve, which it said had become a hideout for kidnappers.

The letter, signed by concerned sons and daughters of Olelo community, was issued in response to what the residents described as a misleading online publication that portrayed the community as being associated with criminal elements.

The residents said the allegation was false, insisting that Olelo neither harboured nor supported kidnappers.

According to the community, kidnappers have taken advantage of the vast Government Forest Reserve along the Erah–Afuze axis to launch attacks on travellers, farmers and residents, while Olelo’s proximity to the forest has unfairly exposed it to suspicion.

The residents also claimed that the community had lost two heads of its vigilante group, who were allegedly killed while defending residents against the criminal gangs.

They lamented that persistent insecurity had prevented many farmers from accessing their farmlands, leading to poor harvests, food shortages and worsening economic hardship.

“We categorically reject this false narrative. The people of Olelo are not part of, do not support, and have never benefited from the criminal activities of kidnappers. On the contrary, we are among their greatest victims.

“Our crops now rot in fields we dare not enter. Our harvests remain inaccessible because fear has conquered our farmlands. Hunger is no longer a distant threat; it has become our daily companion,” the letter stated.

The community further expressed concern over the security situation along the route linking Olelo to Ekpoma, saying residents now undertake every journey with fear of being kidnapped.

The residents appealed to Okpebholo to establish a permanent security presence along the Erah–Afuze–Olelo corridor and around the Government Forest Reserve to curb criminal activities and restore confidence among residents.

They also urged the governor to revive and complete the road project linking the community, which they said was initiated during the administration of the late former governor, Prof Ambrose Alli, but had remained abandoned for decades.

According to the community, completing the road would improve security by facilitating faster deployment of security personnel while also boosting economic activities.

Describing their appeal as “a plea for survival,” the residents called on the governor to intervene urgently to restore security and improve the welfare of the community.

Copies of the letter were also addressed to the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, the Chairman of Owan East Local Government Area, and the Edo State Commissioner of Police.