RismadarVoice Reporters
January 12, 2026
The Edo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of suspects involved in looting and vandalism that followed a protest over insecurity in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state.
The incident occurred on Saturday after residents blocked the Benin–Auchi highway to protest the killing of a youth on Friday night and the rising cases of kidnapping and insecurity in the area.
During the protest, which was initially peaceful, angry youths reportedly stormed the Ekpoma livestock market in Edo Central Senatorial District, chased away traders, slaughtered goats, and vandalized property.
Several videos circulating online on Sunday showed youths attacking animals at the market, while traders fled for safety.
Cows were also seen roaming major roads, with some residents beating them, while slaughtered goats were carted away.
In a statement on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, had taken proactive steps to prevent violence after intelligence reports indicated a possible protest.
According to her, the CP visited Ekpoma on January 4, 2026, where he convened a stakeholders’ meeting involving community leaders, students’ representatives, and other interest groups to address grievances and encourage peaceful expression.
“Following reports of a planned protest in Ekpoma, the Commissioner of Police proactively visited the town as part of the command’s preventive policing strategy to forestall any breakdown of law and order,” the statement said.
However, she noted that despite police presence and collaboration with other security agencies to ensure the protest remained peaceful on January 10, it was later hijacked.
“Regrettably, the protest was hijacked, leading to malicious damage, looting of property, vandalisation of shops, and the discharge of firearms by a military personnel at a protester,” the police said.
Ikoedem said the Commissioner of Police immediately led additional tactical reinforcements from the command headquarters in Benin to Ekpoma, adding that coordinated deployments and crowd-control measures helped restore normalcy.
She confirmed that a 32-year-old man, Osagie Abraham, who was shot during the protest, is receiving treatment at Eromoele Medical Centre in Ekpoma, and that the CP had visited him personally.
The police spokesperson disclosed that the military officer involved in the shooting had been identified and reported to the appropriate military authorities for disciplinary action, while those who engaged in looting and vandalism had been arrested.
“Those who engaged in acts of violence, vandalism, and looting have been identified, arrested, and investigations are ongoing to ensure all culpable persons are brought to justice,” she said.
Addressing concerns over kidnapping, the Commissioner of Police assured residents that the command had intensified intelligence-led operations, strategic patrols, and targeted interventions to tackle criminal activities in Ekpoma and other parts of the state.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, condemned the violence and appealed for calm to prevent reprisal attacks.
In a message on Sunday, he described the incident as a spontaneous mob action and disclosed that Governor Monday Okpebholo had visited Ekpoma to appeal for peace.
“This is very untoward. This is a mob action, often spontaneous and senseless. We appeal for calm to avoid reprisals elsewhere. An eye for an eye is not the best approach,” Afegbua said.
