Edo’s Security Collapse: How Okpebholo’s Neglect of Obaseki’s Command and Control Centre Emboldens Daylight Kidnappers in Benin
Inside Edo
Benin, Edo – In a shocking display of governance failure, armed gunmen on Sunday, June 14, 2026, executed a brazen commando-style abduction at the busy Vegetable Market off Airport Road in Benin City, right in the heart of the Edo State capital.
A middle-aged woman shopping with her husband and children after church service was violently dragged away in a red vehicle after the attackers shot out the tires of the family’s grey car. Her husband fought back and escaped, but the gunmen succeeded in their mission amid flying bullets and panic-stricken shoppers.
Eyewitness videos and CCTV footage of the chaos have gone viral, exposing the vulnerability of once-relatively safe urban areas.
This is not an isolated incident but a direct symptom of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s apparent abandonment of critical security infrastructure inherited from his predecessor.
The Solomon Arase Command and Control Centre (Edo State Command and Control Centre), launched in December 2023 by former Governor Godwin Obaseki, was designed precisely to prevent such atrocities.
Named after the late former Inspector-General of Police Dr. Solomon Arase, the state-of-the-art facility was positioned as the nerve center of Edo’s security architecture.
A centralized hub integrating police, military, DSS, fire service, ambulance services, and other agencies for real-time coordination, extensive CCTV surveillance across Benin City and strategic locations, dedicated emergency toll-free lines (112 and 739), live monitoring, rapid dispatch teams, and comprehensive data logging for proactive crime prevention.
Obaseki’s administration used technology and inter-agency collaboration to significantly reduce crime. Yet under Okpebholo, who assumed office in November 2024, this taxpayer-funded asset has been left to rot, a glaring example of political pettiness triumphing over public safety.
Instead of leveraging existing tools for swift response especially in an area near a police checkpoint, the Okpebholo’s administration has resorted to reactive press statements.
The governor condemned the abduction as “unacceptable” and directed security agencies to act, but such words ring hollow when the foundational systems put in place to enable quick intervention have been sidelined.
Eyewitnesses described the market incident as unfolding with shocking ease in a busy urban zone, highlighting how the absence of functional centralized monitoring has emboldened criminals who now operate with impunity in broad daylight.
This failure fits a troubling pattern.
Insecurity has worsened markedly since Okpebholo took over, with residents lamenting a return to fear in Benin City, as the governor has been accused of prioritizing political loyalty and federal alignment over local governance realities, even linking statewide insecurity to opposition plots rather than addressing root causes like neglected infrastructure.
While his administration touts new patrol vehicles and recruitment drives, these feel like band-aid solutions when a proven, high-tech command center built to integrate and amplify such efforts sits underutilized.
The Solomon Arase Centre was never Obaseki’s personal property; it belongs to the people of Edo State. Governor Okpebholo’s apparent decision to discard it in pursuit of a fresh start has come at a terrible human cost.
The kidnapped woman’s family, her traumatized children, and every resident now living in dread deserve better than excuses and belated condemnations.
Edo State urgently needs its Command and Control Centre revived, fully staffed, funded, and operational alongside genuine commitment to security beyond rhetoric.
Until Governor Okpebholo stops playing politics with lives and starts governing with competence, incidents like the Airport Road abduction will continue, eroding whatever remains of public confidence in his leadership.
The people of Edo are watching and suffering as a result.
