Edo State Government has said the embattled former Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area (LGA), Joshua Edo, is not a member of the state’s security network.
Coordinator of the Edo State Community Vigilante Security Network, Mr. Yusuf Haruna, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, said Mr. Edo, who is being prosecuted for beating up a physically challenged man, has no affiliation with the state’s new community policing architecture.
According to him, “Our attention has been drawn to the activities of one Mr. Joshua Edo, a former Chairman of the CDA in Ikpoba Okha LGA.
“I want to say emphatically that Joshua Edo from Obazagbon is not a member of Edo State Community Vigilante Security Network. All the members have filled forms and are screened and we have a database for that.
“I want the members of the public to disregard any information to the contrary. Edo State Community Vigilante Security Network was birthed after the #ENDSARS protests.”
He continued: “We designed a structure for the control and management of their activities and their recruitment is basically from the stakeholders of each of the 1, 416 communities across the three senatorial districts of the State.
“The idea behind the creation of the vigilante movement is for us to have a vigilante network across these communities to make sure that no part of the state is habitable for criminal elements.”
Haruna added: “Since the inception of the security outfit, we have experienced stable security in Edo, as the activities of these criminals such as kidnappers, arm robbers, burglars, Point of Sales (POS) robbers, have been checked.
“We have two numbers to give members of the public to call whenever they need our services. The public can 08000911911 or 08001235111 for immediate response.”
