#EndSARS: Edo govt to rebuild razed police stations, procure new patrol vehicles

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, said on Monday the state government would rebuild all the police stations burnt across the state during the recent #EndSARS protests.

Obaseki, who stated this when he paid a solidarity visit to the headquarters of the state police command, also assured that government would buy new vehicles for the smooth operations of the personnel.

He said: “We have already ordered for patrol vehicles and we hope that the delivery will be in a few weeks. This is in addition to rebuilding all the razed police stations immediately.

“We will be responsible for the hospital bills of every policeman or woman who had been hurt as a result of the incident of the last few weeks.”

The governor said his administration would ensure that necessary assistance was given to the police in the state within the limit of the available resources.

Obaseki added: “The #EndSARS protesters, whom I asked you to give protection to, were the legitimate ones, and not those attacking police stations, Oko prison and Sapele road prison and their property.

“The people, who did all these, were criminals and they should be treated as such.

“I’m here today to assure you of our support. Criminals cannot take over our state, under whatever guise. They should not intimidate you and you should not allow your morale to be dampened.

“The criminals cannot win; we know them. We have dealt with them in other places.

“They called themselves lions and tigers in the political sphere. They have so many friends who are just mere criminals; who don’t want to work hard but just to prey on those working hard in our society. We will not allow them.”

He assured that government would work with the police to ensure that every inmate, who escaped from the correctional facility in the state, was re-arrested.

READ ALSO: Police arrests 10 escaped inmates, 116 others for looting, vandalism in Edo

“They thought they had destroyed all the documents by burning down all the evidence but they didn’t realise that their biometrics data are being held out of that premises.

“We have all of them and we are going to work with you in this regard.

“We have data on their next of kin and everybody they have lived with in the past. We are going to go after everyone of them in all the communities they have lived in; we will get all of them re-arrested.

“They will not spend Christmas with us; they are going to spend it where they are supposed to spend it.

“For those who stayed behind, even when the prison gate was thrown up, I am going to look at their case files carefully. Those who should not have been there (correctional centre) in the first place, will all be given necessary debriefing.

“Let me reassure you that Edo people love and respect you all. We will support you and we are going to demonstrate that in many ways,” the governor concluded.

The state’s Police Commissioner, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, told Obaseki that 11 personnel were injured, seven police stations razed, 16 police patrol vehicles burnt, five police officers’ personal vehicles burnt and 31 exhibit vehicles either burnt or destroyed by the hoodlums.

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