PANIC IN EDO STATE OVER FALSE KIDNAPPING ALARM

[00:00:15][laughter] >> That's the video making the rounds on social media platforms announcing the arrival and kidnapping of students of St. James's Grammar School Afuze in Owan East and Holy Trinity College in Sabongida Ora, Owan East Local Government Areas. The police through a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Eniola Equoem, says the police have arrested a 42-year-old content creator, Ernest Ubomigo, for raising false alarm. The panic led indigenes from the area, including the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, to denounce the scare.

[00:00:55]>> The issue of a kidnapping has never happened in Owan West before because Owan West is a safe place.

[00:01:02]Because in Owan West, we have so many strangers living with us there and they are law-abiding people. We have the Urhobos, we have the Ibos, we have the Igalas, we have the all the the Binis, the Okogis. We live together there.

[00:01:16]Such thing has never happened there.

[00:01:18]>> There was no strange face around this school today.

[00:01:23]Only God knows where they got the rumor from that there are kidnappers in St. James's Grammar School Afuze.

[00:01:29]Please, this information should be discountenanced by all and sundry.

[00:01:35]Nothing like kidnapping or such occurrence in St. James's Grammar School.

[00:01:41]>> To check the wave of kidnapping and cult-related offenses, Governor Godwin Obaseki is promising to create special courts to provide speedy legal frameworks for cases related to kidnapping and cultism. The governor made the disclosure at the state police headquarters during the parade of kidnap suspects and the self-kidnapping case of one Mrs. Oludijo Omo and her cohorts.

[00:02:05]>> We are not sleeping day and night. We are working to make sure that this land is safe.

[00:02:12]I want to appeal to our people.

[00:02:14]Stay away from cultism and stay away from kidnapping because it will take you to nowhere.

[00:02:22]Now we are going to set up a special court to try kidnappers and cultists.

[00:02:29]Within 2 weeks, 3 weeks, we are done with it.

[00:02:32]>> Uh this success was recorded through the efforts of the officers and men of the Edo State Police Command and who I must commend for their tireless efforts.

[00:02:43]Uh the moment usually when we record cases, we have a lot of backlashes, people not believing the police can carry it out, but you can see we are resilient and we continue to work.

[00:02:58]>> Christie Macaulay, Arise News.