The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said his government is pursuing a holistic upgrade of the state’s security architecture to guarantee the safety and security of persons and investments in the state, ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

Obaseki, while addressing journalists in Benin City, said the government is “prioritizing public safety and security with the war against land-grabbing and deepening the reach of the Edo State Security Network for better community policing and intelligence gathering.”

According to him, “These programmes are key to unlocking more economic growth, as we understand the need for a secure environment to drive tourism and other aspects of our economic transformation drive. We have made provision for training and purchase of more security equipment to support our security services.”

Reassuring the protection of lives and property of citizens of Edo State, Obaseki further stated, “We understand that the investments being made in Edo today would benefit from improvement in public safety and security. This is why we invested heavily in improving the state’s security system with the establishment of the Edo State Command and Control Centre. The centre is fitted with state-of-the-art security equipment to assist security personnel in curbing crime and criminality in the state.”

He added, “We have extended copious support to federal government security agencies in the state with the provision of operational bases and purchase of equipment, including Armoured Personal Carriers (APC), speedboats and gunboats, among others.

“We also refurbished and rebuilt infrastructure at the Police Training School, Ogida to assist in training members of our Vigilante Network, PUWOV and Constabulary Team.

“The Edo State Security Network has been instrumental in pushing back against criminal elements in society. They have helped in providing intelligence and strengthening community policing working closely with federal security agencies.”