From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The Edo State Government has opened a window of restitution for cult members in the state to renounce and turn a new leaf, urging those in possession of illegal arms and ammunition to surrender them to authorities in exchange for amnesty.
The state Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, announced this yesterday while meeting with the leaders of Obagie, Oke-Oroma and Amagba communities over land and insecurity concerns in Benin City.
Reinstating his administration’s resolve to develop the proposed new city around the communities, the governor said a technical committee will soon be announced to handle the restitution of cult members and criminally minded youths in a bid to reduce the menace of violent crimes, including kidnapping.
A major component of the amnesty programme for such youths will include skills acquisition and empowerment programme so that they can be useful to themselves and the society on the long run, Governor Okpebholo explained.
He assured the visiting community leaders of his support to bring about lasting peace in their communities especially as government embarks on the development of the new city in their domain.
The governor while stressing that peace will be restored to all restive communities in the state including Obagie, Oke-oroma and Amagba further assured that government was ready to listen to the victims of demolition by the immediate past administration.
“Those whose properties were affected should see the Committee on Land Resolution with their papers”, Okpebholo directed.
On the development of LOT ‘A’ in the new city plan, the governor said that government will look around and protect the traditional sites in the process of developing the new town while those in LOT ‘B’ can come forward with their documents to the committee once the process commences.
He also added that government was ready to carry out a regularization of land properties in the affected areas so that property owners could have their lands back in other LOTs.
Governor Okpebholo called on property owners in the state to register their properties with Edo Geographical Information System, saying “Survey your land and register them with Edo GIS so that you can collect your land titles”.
In their reaction, the communities assured the governor of their total support especially in the development of the LOT ‘A’ in the new city and in his drive to improve the security of their communities.
Pa. Michael Omoruyi, Pa Abel Emokpae and Ebo Amagba spoke respectively for Obagie, Oke-Oroma and Amagba communities.
Recall that the Edo State Government under former Governor Godwin Obaseki had serially engaged the communities in violent confrontations, which the communities described as regrettable because of the loss of lives and properties.
They commended Governor Okpebholo for setting up the committee to engage them saying it was the first time that state government was interfacing with them since 2017 when their lands were first acquired by government.
Governor Okpebholo had a few weeks ago set up the Committee on Land Resolution in the state with Dr. Tony Ikpasaja as Chairman and Dr. Abdulwasiu Oyakhire as Secretary.
Other members of the committee include the Surveyor General of the state, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning, a state Counsel from the Ministry of Justice and Dr. Felix Iyalomhen from the office of the Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly.