Edo: Protesting youths block highway over erosion, kidnappings

Okpebholo

Vehicular and human movement was disrupted on Monday at the Jattu Junction along the Benin–Auchi–Okene highway in Edo State, as hundreds of youths protested against worsening gully erosion and rising incidents of kidnapping in Auchi and its environs.

The demonstration, organised by the Auchi Youth Council, brought traffic to a standstill, leaving commuters, motorists, and heavy-duty vehicles stranded for hours.

Long queues of trucks, cars, and motorcycles stretched across the busy route, while police and other security personnel were deployed to forestall breakdown of law and order.

Spokesman for the protesters, Chalaman Momoh, said the demonstration was aimed at drawing the attention of the government to the environmental degradation and security crisis plaguing the community.

“We are here to cry out to the government on the issue of gully erosion that is ravaging our community,” Momoh said.

“We have written several letters to the government and have yet to receive any response.

“We are also battling the issue of kidnapping. These criminals are no longer operating on highways alone; they now go into people’s homes to abduct them. Our people are no longer safe,” he added.

Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Coalition for Edo North Youths for Good Governance, Hafiz Lawal, claimed that at least 15 persons had been kidnapped in Auchi in recent weeks, with over N70m reportedly paid as ransom.

He listed key erosion-prone areas in the community to include the Utsokhwilli gully, Water Tanker Road, and the Auchi–Igarra Road, describing them as ticking time bombs.

“Our demand is simple: the government must take immediate steps to address the erosion menace threatening lives and property, and also tackle the insecurity which has led to 15 kidnapping incidents in Auchi alone,” Lawal said.