The Ukhun Youths Diaspora Association has urged all Esan sons and daughters, both at home and abroad, to unite with the Edo State Government in its fight to eliminate kidnapping and other forms of insecurity plaguing Esan land.
The group made this appeal through a statement issued in Benin City and signed by its leader, Festus Imudia. According to Imudia, youths from the Ukhun community in Esan West Local Government Area are ready and willing to support the state government’s ongoing efforts to combat rising insecurity in the region.
He lamented that the current state of insecurity has forced many farmers to abandon their farmlands due to fear of abduction, while women in the area have reportedly been kidnapped and assaulted by armed herders wreaking havoc across communities.
Imudia stressed that lasting peace can only be achieved if all stakeholders within the region join forces with the government. “The havoc being wrecked can only be solved when everyone in the region comes together as one entity to join hands with the state government,” he said.
He also addressed a viral video allegedly circulated by an individual identified as Bruce, who operates under the name Esan Voice. The video claimed that some youths from the Ukhun community were involved in kidnapping and acts that threatened the peace of the area.
Imudia, however, dismissed these claims as entirely false, clarifying that while some youths had indeed been arrested, their offense was related to the unauthorized sale of community land, not kidnapping. He expressed concern over the potential damage such misinformation could do to the community’s reputation.
“Pushing such false narratives to the public is misleading and capable of tarnishing the image of the community that is working so hard to assist the government to restore peace to the area and to the region by extension,” he stated.
He urged Bruce to verify his facts before releasing any further information to the public. “It is not enough to stay outside the shore of the country and start dishing out false information to the public but to get the right information,” he added.
Imudia emphasized that the Ukhun community prioritizes peace and the safety of its residents. He warned that the association would not hesitate to take action against anyone using social media to spread unverified claims about the community. To that end, he said the group plans to report Bruce’s Facebook account for disciplinary measures.
He also called on Bruce to retract the video and offer a public apology to the people of Ukhun for the harm caused.
