There was unrest in certain areas of Edo State as the police command began to seize weapons from volunteer forces, commonly known as Vigilantes.
Daily Report Nigeria reports that the Edo Police Command on Monday seized weapons from Ulomi Police Department after police orders in Aginica State.
The development has since been caught in fierce protests, and security concerns in the state have increased since Sunday.
A protesting vigilance told the journalist, “We’re here until they answer us; I’ve been a vigilance for 21 years.”
Many protesters said they received formal training from the government, including weapons handling, tactical movements and other security operations.
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They also obtained certificates after completing the exercises and worked closely with department police for many years to curb insecurity.
This relationship changed when Agbonika ordered the retrieval of weapons, a broader overhaul of the state’s national security building while in office.
After following the order, the police commissioner took to live TV, boasting about taking more than 2,000 guns and other weapons from members of the volunteer unit, causing them to worry about their lives.
“They trained us how to shoot, dive and do a lot of things. After training, they gave us our certificate. Unfortunately, when the new CP arrived, he said he wanted to fix Edo State, we respected him as a good citizen of Edo State, we gave him the gun with our hands and gave him our gun.”
The latest protest is a sequel to the attacks on some northerners captured by weapons that were intercepted and burned by Utoromi’s vigilance, killing 16 people.
The incident has attracted widespread condemnation from northerners, especially from the Arewa Consulting Forum.
