They said, "From the forests of Odighi to the outskirts of Ologbo, from Auchi to Abudu, the shadow of kidnapping and violent crime has fallen across all three senatorial districts.

The Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights has called on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to declare a "state of emergency" on insecurity in the state.

In a release on Saturday signed by Marxist Kola Edokpayi, Coordinator General,

Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights and Secretary General, Aghatise Raphael, the coalition lamented that Edo State has "become a tragic theatre of insecurity -- a landscape where fear rules and the lives of ordinary citizens are treated with shocking disregard."

They said, "From the forests of Odighi to the outskirts of Ologbo, from Auchi to Abudu, the shadow of kidnapping and violent crime has fallen across all three senatorial districts. The relentless surge in abductions, ambushes, and killings has brought the state to its knees, leaving citizens to wonder: who, if anyone, is truly in charge?

"On 5th September 2025, eight brave Civil Defence officers were brutally murdered in Agenebode, and a Chinese National abducted. On 6th September 2025, a full 18-seater Edo Line bus was hijacked and all passengers kidnapped. Young Catholic seminarians were recently seized from their training grounds, the young seminarians have spent more than 50 days in the captivity, the Government and security agencies have not deemed it fit to secure his release unhurt. Days earlier, medical doctors were abducted along the Benin-Auchi Road, farmers were taken from their farmlands in Esan, and a respected community leader was snatched at gunpoint in Ekpoma.

"In Akoko Edo, Chief Balogun was kidnapped. These are not isolated tragedies -- they are proof that from farmers to priests, commuters to professionals, no one is safe.

"The fundamental question on the lips of every Edolite is this: Where is the Chief Security Officer of the state, Governor Monday Okpebhol, where is the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, where is the Director of State Security Service, where is the Brigade Commander, of Fourth Mechanised Brigade and other heads of security agencies? And what exactly are their plans to quell this raging menace? The Constitution is unambiguous: the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. Yet in Edo today, this duty feels reduced to a talking point -- a mere afterthought buried under political calculations.

"We have seen photo opportunities and commissioning ceremonies -- patrol vehicles and motorbikes paraded for the cameras. But are these measures substance or optics, strategy or show? Security is not built on the distribution of Hilux vans. True protection requires intelligence gathering, community collaboration, inter-agency cohesion, and an unflinching resolve to dismantle criminal networks. Where is the comprehensive blueprint? Where is the measurable plan to flush out the armed groups that have turned Edo's highways and communities into a killing ground?

"The governor's purported silence on this matter is deafening. With a new administration in place, the people expected a decisive break from the failures of the past. Instead, what they see is the same old script of ineffectiveness. Has the Governor chosen to focus on consolidating political power and delivering on partisan promises -- like the pledge of "2.5 million votes for Tinubu in 2027" -- at the expense of his foremost duty to protect the lives of Edo people? Are citizens' lives now collateral damage in a political game?

"We, the Edo State Civil Society Coalition for Human Rights, demand immediate and decisive action: The Federal Government must declare a State of Emergency on Insecurity in Edo State without delay.

"A joint military-police, citizens and hunters strike operation must be launched and forests combed to get rid of armed Kidnappers and terrorists, highways, and border areas where criminals thrive.

"Justice must be served -- from the killers of Civil Defence officers to the abductors of seminarians, commuters, doctors, farmers, and community leaders.

"Edo State leaders must stop playing politics with lives. Real security must be rebuilt from the grassroots through collaboration with communities, faith groups, and civil society. There is need to go back to the days of neighbourhood watch introduced by former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

"We remind the government of its binding duty. Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution clearly states: "the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government." And as the ancient maxim declares: "Salus populi suprema lex esto" -- the welfare of the people shall be the supreme law.

"Above all, even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself affirmed: "Every Nigerian deserves to live without fear." The safety of citizens is not negotiable.

"Edo people are not demanding miracles. They are demanding competence. They are not asking for speeches. They are demanding a concerted plan to end Kidnapping..Until a credible, transparent, and actionable security strategy is unveiled and implemented, distrust will deepen and fear will spread. The people's mandate was not given for Edo to become a playground for kidnappers and killers.

"Edo people will not bow to kidnappers and cultists. We refuse to be ruled by fear. If urgent action is not taken, peace, progress, and governance in our state will collapse entirely. The time for gestures is over. The Chief Security Officer and heads of security agencies must act now beyond rhetorics and prove, through bold and practical measures, that the lives of Edo People are their highest priority. Anything less is a betrayal of trust given to His Excellency by the electorate who are now victims of kidnapping and killings.

"We stand with victims, their families, and all Edo residents trapped in this reign of terror. The time to act is now."