The Edo State Government has condemned the violent attack on Hausa traders at the Ekpoma livestock market, where angry youths chased traders away and slaughtered several goats amid rising tension over insecurity in the area.
The incident followed a protest on Saturday by residents of Ekpoma in Edo Central Senatorial District over the killing of a youth, allegedly by suspected kidnappers. By Sunday morning, videos circulating on social media showed youths invading the livestock market, killing goats belonging to traders and forcing them to flee.
In the footage, cattle were seen roaming freely on major roads as traders escaped, while some residents reportedly assaulted the animals. Slaughtered goats were also dragged away by the attackers. A narrator in one of the videos, speaking in pidgin English, claimed the traders had suffered heavy losses, including the killing of their animals.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, condemned the violence and appealed for calm to prevent reprisal attacks in other parts of the state. He described the episode as a “spontaneous and senseless mob action.”
“This is very untoward. Incidentally, some of our people are the owners of these cows. We can only appeal for calm to avoid reprisals elsewhere. An eye for an eye is not the best approach,” Afegbua said, adding that Governor Monday Okpebholo had gone to Ekpoma to personally appeal for peace.
Residents had earlier blocked entry and exit points into the town on Saturday, disrupting commercial activities and engaging security agencies over the worsening security situation. Campaign billboards for the 2027 general elections were also pulled down during the protest.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discovery of the victim’s body in a bush on Friday night triggered the protests. According to him, kidnapping has become rampant in the area, forcing farmers to abandon their farms and residents to live in fear.
On Saturday, the Governor’s Principal Security Officer, Austin Eigbiremolen, assured residents that adequate security would be deployed to Ekpoma and that kidnappers would be flushed out.
Similarly, the Edo State Police Command said it was responding to the security challenges. The police spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, was already in Ekpoma. She revealed that nine kidnapped persons, including five children, were rescued unhurt after the deployment of the Eagle Combat Drone Unit alongside local hunters.
According to her, real-time aerial intelligence helped locate the kidnappers’ camp in a forest, forcing the suspects to flee during a raid by ground troops. Two locally fabricated AK-49 rifles were recovered during the operation.
She said the successful rescue operation highlighted the growing role of technology in modern policing and marked a significant boost to security operations in Edo State.
