Unuevbo TV

600 Years Strong: Igarra Kingdom's Ubete Day Proves Edo Culture Still Governs Unity

📅 June 7, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the ancient traditions, living history, and cultural festivals that remind Edo State who its people have always been.

HRH Oba Adeche Saiki II, the Otaru of Igarra, leading the Ubete Day celebration on June 5, 2026 — a festival rooted in a 600‑year‑old land treaty.

Before Nigeria. Before Edo State. Before the bypass protests and the fake kidnap videos and the endless noise of the present, there was Igarra — a small kingdom in what is now Akoko‑Edo Local Government Area — and a land treaty that has outlasted every government that has ever claimed authority over this soil. On June 5, 2026, that treaty turned 600 years old. And the people of Igarra celebrated it not with speeches, but with pounded yam. One bowl. Eaten together.

The Scene: One Bowl, One People

HRH Oba Adeche Saiki II, the Otaru of Igarra and Akuku land, stepped onto the royal palace grounds in full regalia. Around him gathered the five ruling houses of the kingdom. Sons and daughters of Igarra who had returned from Lagos, from Abuja, from London. The occasion was Ubete Day — rebranded by the Otaru as "Igarra Day" — and the central ritual was as ancient as the treaty itself.

The communal eating of pounded yam. Not from separate plates. Not from individual servings. One large bowl. Age group by age group, the people dipped their hands into the same pounded yam, into the same soup, eating together as their ancestors had done. The message, unchanged across six centuries: "You cannot fight a person you have eaten from the same bowl with." It is a philosophy older than any constitution, and on this day, it was still working.

The 600‑Year‑Old Receipt: How Igarra Got Its Land

Ubete is not merely a festival. It is a history lesson that has been passed down orally for 600 years. Around the 15th century, the first Otaru, HRH Ariwo Ovejijo, led a group of migrants from Idah in present‑day Kogi State into the land that is now Igarra. There, they met a people known as the Anafuas — described in oral tradition as "Pygmy‑like" aborigines already occupying the territory.

What followed was not war. It was a treaty. The leader of the Anafuas, a man named Uno, scooped up a handful of soil and handed it to Ovejijo. The gesture was unmistakable: this land is now yours. It is why Igarra is also called Etuno — "the land of Uno." Ubete Day 2026 did not simply commemorate this moment. It re‑enacted it. The Otaru's procession to the celebration grounds echoed Ovejijo receiving that handful of earth. The people of Igarra were not told their history. They walked inside it.

Why Ubete Day Matters in 2026

In the same week that Edo residents burned tyres on bypasses to protest kidnapping, and a TikToker was arrested for fabricating a kidnap hoax, Igarra offered an alternative script. It was not loud. It was not digital. But it was powerful. Three lessons emerged from the celebration that the rest of Edo — and Nigeria — would do well to study.

First, conflict resolution without violence. Six hundred years ago, migrants and natives used soil and diplomacy, not bloodshed, to share land. In a country where ethnic tension is still the default setting, Igarra's origin story is a masterclass in peace. Second, culture as development policy. The Otaru himself drew the connection, describing unity as "the cornerstone of development." Investors do not flock to divided communities. They go where the social fabric is intact. Igarra, by annually reinforcing its own bonds, is doing the kind of work that no government agency can replicate.

Third, the diaspora homecoming model. The sons and daughters of Igarra who returned for Ubete Day brought with them tourism income, remittance flows, and a form of soft power that cannot be bought. Every festival that pulls the diaspora back to the homeland is an economic engine disguised as a party. Other LGAs should be taking notes.

Akoko‑Edo Is Not Just Crisis

When you search for "Akoko‑Edo" in the news, you are likely to find the Egbetua‑Ososo cement crisis, the ₦1.5 billion dispute, the headlines about violence. Ubete Day offers a counter‑narrative. It says this is also a place of treaty‑makers, of kingdom‑builders, of people who were organised long before the British arrived with their amalgamation papers. It is a reminder that the identity of a people is not defined by the worst thing that happens to them, but by the traditions they refuse to let die.

In a week where Edo debated whether flyovers should be classified as tourist sites, Igarra quietly demonstrated what authentic heritage tourism looks like. There was no government press release. No carefully edited campaign video. Just a palace, its people, and a bowl of pounded yam that has been feeding unity for 600 years.

What is your community's own "land story"? Which ancient festival in your LGA deserves to trend next? Tag your local government. Tell us your history. Let us make our roots louder than our crises.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

"Aza Woman" Arrested: Edo Police Nab TikToker Over Fake Green Park Academy Kidnap Hoax

📅 June 7, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the dangerous intersection of social media panic and real insecurity in Edo State.

TikToker Uzebor Emmanuel, known as "Aza Woman," was arrested on June 6 for spreading a fabricated kidnapping story that sent parents into a frenzy.

On June 6, 2026, a TikTok video lit a match under a state already drenched in fear. Uzebor Emmanuel, popularly known as "Aza Woman," posted a chilling claim: six students had been kidnapped from Green Park Academy and Western Boys' College. The video spread like floodwater. Parents raced to schools. Principals locked gates. Voice notes claimed children were being pulled from classrooms. There was just one problem: none of it happened.

The Arrest That Followed

By the end of the same day, the Edo State Police Command had picked up Aza Woman. Police PRO Eno Ikoedem did not hold back: "She deliberately spread a fabricated story about mass kidnapping. This is not content. This is panic. Misinformation erodes security confidence." The charge is spreading false information capable of causing public unrest — a serious offence in a state where real kidnappers are still on the prowl, and where residents had blocked bypasses just 24 hours earlier in protest against actual abductions.

Why This Hoax Hit Harder Than Most

Fake news is not new. But this one landed at the worst possible moment. Edo's nerves were already raw after the June 5 protests. Targeting schools triggered a unique terror — nothing panics a community faster than the thought of its children in harm's way. And the medium — TikTok and Instagram Reels — ensured the lie outpaced the truth. One parent told local blogs: "We no know wetin to believe again. Real kidnap dey, fake kidnap dey. All of them dey kill us."

The arrest signals a hardening posture from authorities. The message to influencers is blunt: clout-chasing with falsehoods now comes with handcuffs. To parents, the police have a simpler message: verify with school authorities before hitting the share button. In a state where genuine SOS calls compete with manufactured ones, the line between vigilance and hysteria has become dangerously thin.

What do you think? Should fake news spreaders face jail, fines, or public apologies? And how do you filter the information you share? Let us know.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

"We Don Block Bypass": Edo Residents Shut Down Benin, Auchi Roads Over Kidnapping Terror

📅 June 7, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Reporting on the grassroots explosion of anger that brought Edo's busiest roads to a halt and forced the kidnapping crisis back onto the political agenda.

Burning tyres and wooden barricades across the Benin and Auchi bypasses on June 5, as residents brought traffic to a standstill to protest escalating kidnappings.

Edo State took its pain to the asphalt on June 5, 2026. From Benin City to Auchi, ordinary residents — traders, drivers, students — dragged burnt tyres, wooden planks, and their own bodies across the bypasses and refused to let a single vehicle pass. Their message was as direct as it was desperate: if the government cannot protect us, then the road itself will be the price.

The Scene: Tires, Wood, and Fury

The images that flooded social media on Thursday were the kind that make a government's communications team reach for a crisis playbook. A silver SUV, a white sedan — both halted mid‑journey, their occupants staring at the barricades and the crowd beyond. The chants, delivered in raw Pidgin, were aimed squarely at those in power. "Kidnapping too much for Edo State. Government no dey do anything. Today we say no movement!"

Protesters looked directly into smartphone cameras, naming names. "This is Benin bypass. We block am. Make Okpebholo see. Make Tinubu see." The blockade was not spontaneous. It was the accumulation of months of fear that had finally found a release valve. The Jaro‑Agbor Park‑Ikpobahill kidnapping corridor, now a permanent fixture on WhatsApp broadcasts, had transformed from a series of isolated incidents into a community trauma. Students had been targeted. Families had paid millions in ransom. The police had become a punchline. The bypass blockade was the answer to all of it.

Why Edo Snapped

To understand June 5, you must understand the months that preceded it. The Auchi‑Benin road had become a no‑go zone after 6 p.m. The Benin‑Agbor highway had earned a similar reputation. Fake abduction rumours, such as the one that swept through Green Park Academy, had fed a fear that was already real. The ransom economy had ballooned, and the official response — "come tomorrow" — had hollowed out whatever trust remained between the people and the security apparatus.

The protest was not simply about kidnapping. It was about a government that had spent the preceding week promoting a glossy video of the governor inspecting a hospital and a university in Udomi, under the banner "A NEW EDO HAS RISEN." For the residents on the bypass, the slogan was an insult. A new Edo had not risen for them. For them, the old Edo — the one of fear, ransom, and abandonment — was still very much alive.

The Political Shrapnel

The barricades did not discriminate. Governor Monday Okpebholo caught the brunt of the anger, with protesters demanding he bring the same energy he had shown at the Udomi tour to the insecurity crisis. Former Governor Godwin Obaseki was not spared; some banners blamed his eight years for "handing over bandits." President Bola Tinubu, watching from Abuja, was told bluntly: "You dey Abuja, we dey die here."

Opposition voices amplified the videos within hours. Pro‑government accounts called the protests "sponsored." The response from the street was immediate and brutal: "Sponsor yourself enter bush with kidnappers then." It was the kind of retort that cannot be answered by a press release.

What Happens After the Tires Cool

By evening, security forces had cleared most of the barricades and traffic was moving again. But the deeper damage had been done. Transporters have now unofficially shortened their operating hours, pulling off the road by 4 p.m. on affected routes. Markets are closing earlier. The government's own response — arresting a TikToker for spreading fake news the following day — only deepened the sense that the state was more interested in fighting perception than fighting kidnappers.

The June 5 protests are not just a security incident. They are an early campaign message for 2027, written not by any political party, but by the people who burn tyres because they have run out of options. Any politician who cannot present a credible security plan between now and the general election will find the bypasses waiting for them.

Blocking roads hurts traders, drivers, and the sick who cannot get to hospital. The protesters know this. Their response is already written in the same Pidgin that carried the chants: "We dey suffer already. At least now una dey hear us."

Your take, Edo? Was June 5 "security awareness" or "self‑sabotage"? If you were stuck in that traffic, who did you blame — the kidnappers or the government? Sound off, and if you have video from your area, share it. We are tracking every LGA.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

"A New Edo Has Risen?" Gov Okpebholo's Udomi Project Tour Divides Edo Internet

📅 June 7, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the politics of governance, the optics of development, and the battle for public perception in Edo State.

Gov Monday Okpebholo during the June 6 inspection tour of Udomi projects that has split Edo public opinion.

Governor Monday Okpebholo stepped out of his convoy in Udomi, Esan Central Local Government Area, on June 6, 2026, wearing a pink-striped polo shirt and a blue cap — and within hours, Edo State's internet was split in two. The official recap video from the Edo New Media & Visual Communications Office landed with a tagline that was always going to provoke: "A NEW EDO HAS RISEN." It did. Some saw it as proof of work. Others saw it as provocation.

Four Projects, One Community

The tour was designed to showcase four mega projects, all in Udomi. The Edo Specialist Hospital, a 150‑bed facility already treating patients, was the centrepiece — a functioning health asset in a state where a government delivering on healthcare is political currency. The Udomi University is rising from the ground. A 500‑hectare community farm and a holiday resort centre rounded out the itinerary. For the governor, the optics were clear: this is what delivery looks like. No memos. No press releases. Boots on the ground, with cameras.

The response from supporters was swift. "At least we're seeing our money," one comment read. Another: "Hospital, university, farm, resort — that's development, not audio." For the Esan heartland, the tour felt like validation, a visible return on political loyalty. The Specialist Hospital, in particular, became the poster child for an administration eager to tie its legacy to concrete and bedsheets, not just promises.

The Pushback: "Na Only Udomi Be Edo?"

But the internet never agrees on anything. The same video that earned applause also drew sharp criticism. "Edo State has 18 LGAs. Why is everything in Udomi?" one critic asked. Others demanded to see Auchi, Benin City, Etsako — any of the other communities that make up the state. The concentration of four major projects in one locality, all released in a single media push, made the opposition's job easy. Accusations of a "one‑LGA agenda" spread as quickly as the praise.

Even some of the governor's supporters conceded that the optics could fuel political narratives that will echo all the way to the 2028 governorship race. The slogan "A NEW EDO HAS RISEN" was shared as both praise and meme, depending on which side of the argument you stood. For a government that has cast itself as the antidote to neglect, the risk is that the project becomes a story about exclusion rather than delivery.

What the Tour Means Beyond Udomi

June 6 was more than an inspection. It was Okpebholo's most cinematic media push yet, a deliberate shift from governance by communiqué to governance by visual storytelling. The pink‑striped polo has already entered the state's political iconography. The projects themselves — some completed, some still under construction — are now baked into the governor's legacy narrative, whether the APC or the opposition is telling the story.

But the episode also exposes the tension inherent in development politics. Concentrating projects in one area creates a powerful visual case, but it also arms political opponents with a simple, devastating question: what about the rest of us? As the videos continue to circulate and the 2027 election season gathers pace, Udomi will remain both a symbol of what this administration says it is building — and a test of whether the rest of Edo believes it.

What's your take? Is Udomi the new model city for Edo, or should other LGAs start demanding their own tour? Share your thoughts — and stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the politics of development in Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Edo Youth Mobilize for PVC Drive at Oba Market Ahead of July 10 INEC Deadline — “No PVC, No Vote”

📅 June 2, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering grassroots political mobilisation, voter registration drives, and the youth movements shaping Edo's civic future.

Edo youths gathered at King Square on Monday morning before moving into Oba Market to register traders for their PVCs.

A grassroots voter registration campaign is unfolding in Benin City, and it is being led by young people who have decided that waiting for others to act is no longer an option. On Sunday, June 1, a passionate appeal went viral on Instagram, calling on volunteers to converge at King Square on Monday morning and fan out into the sprawling Oba Market with a single message: register for your Permanent Voter Card before INEC closes the window on July 10.

The call was raw, direct, and delivered in the Pidgin that connects the street to the stall. “Our elders make up most voters, but many of them — especially the market women — are still not registered,” the organiser said in a video that has since been shared hundreds of times. “If we want change, we cannot be shouting on social media while the people who will actually vote remain invisible on the register. Meet us at King Square. 9am. Bring your energy.”

The Market as a Battleground

The choice of Oba Market was deliberate. Market women and traders form the backbone of Edo's informal economy, yet they are among the most underrepresented groups on the electoral roll. The campaign is targeting that gap, moving through the stalls with information about INEC's Oredo Local Government Area office, assisting with the documentation needed, and explaining — in the languages the traders understand — why a PVC is more than a card. It is a voice.

The volunteers have been encouraged to bring their phones, document the drive, and flood social media with the results. The organisers also called on bloggers and influencers to amplify the message, recognising that the same platforms that spread viral alerts about insecurity can be used to build the civic muscle that changes who governs.

A Race Against Time

With INEC's July 10 registration deadline fast approaching, the urgency is real. The drive reflects a growing trend of grassroots political mobilisation across Edo State, where young people are using social media not just to complain, but to organise. The “No PVC, No Vote” message is not a threat — it is a call to participation, delivered at the frontlines of where democracy meets the people.

Need to register or update your voter details? Visit the INEC office nearest to you in Edo State with a valid form of identification. Registration is free, but the window will not stay open forever.

Were you at the Oba Market drive? Share your experience — and stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on voter mobilisation across Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Kidnapping Alerts Surge in Benin City: Residents Warn of New Tactics as Gangs Pose as Commercial Drivers

📅 June 2, 2026 | ⏱️ 4 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking community safety, shifting criminal tactics, and the grassroots warnings keeping Edo residents on alert.

Viral community alerts on June 1 warned that organised kidnappers are now using minibuses and taxis to target passengers in Benin City.

A wave of grassroots security alerts swept through Benin City and its surrounding communities on June 1, 2026, as residents took to social media to warn of what they described as a new, organised kidnapping ring that has “entered Benin.” The warnings, shared in viral videos and voice notes by local content creators and community pages, detailed a specific set of tactics that mark a departure from the rural banditry that has plagued the state’s northern corridors.

What is emerging from these alerts is a picture of criminals who have studied the routines of their targets. According to the warnings, the kidnappers are posing as commercial drivers — using minibuses and so‑called “Yarisi” cars — to pick up unsuspecting passengers at markets, roadsides, and popular transit points. The hotspots being mentioned include Jaro, Agbor Park, and the Ikpobahill stretch of the Benin‑Agbor Road. The victims, residents say, are often people returning from villages, travelling with cash, or boarding vehicles at informal stops.

The New Playbook

What makes these alerts different is the level of detail. Residents are not merely warning of “kidnappers on the road.” They are describing a precise modus operandi: gangs that lure passengers with the appearance of legitimate transport, that target people from villages who have just sold goods and are carrying cash, and that have allegedly learned to bribe their way past checkpoints with small sums. One widely circulated video stressed that this is “not Boko Haram or generic bandits but a local, organised operation.”

The kidnappers, according to the alerts, are demanding million‑naira ransoms, and some victims have been snatched from inside their homes — a detail that has added to the fear spreading through neighbourhoods along the Benin‑Agbor corridor.

Police Response and Community Vigilance

The June 1 alerts did not come in a vacuum. Only weeks earlier, police recorded significant successes: five suspected kidnappers were arrested in Akoko‑Edo on May 13, and a woman was rescued from captors in Jattu. The Egoro Na‑oka community in Esan West had also previously petitioned the government, warning that kidnappers were exploiting the deplorable state of roads that slow vehicles to a crawl.

But the latest warnings suggest the criminals have adapted, and the response from official channels has been slow. As of Monday evening, no formal police statement had addressed the specific claims circulating in the viral videos. That silence has only amplified the anxiety, pushing residents to rely on community‑to‑community alerts.

What Residents Are Being Told to Do

Based on the circulating alerts, community leaders are urging residents to take the following precautions:

• Avoid late‑night travel on the Benin‑Agbor Road and Ikpobahill axis.
• Use only registered motor parks and avoid flagging down random vehicles.
• Do not display cash when travelling from villages to the city.
• Share trip details with family before boarding any vehicle.
• Report any suspicious activity to the nearest police division immediately.

The situation is still developing, but one thing is already clear: the criminal underworld in Edo has shifted gear, and the communities on the front lines are taking matters of their own safety into their own hands. Staying informed, for now, is the first line of defence.

Have you noticed suspicious activity in your area? Share your observations safely — and keep watching Unuevbo TV for updates on security across Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Edo Traders Hail Gov Okpebholo’s N1bn Interest‑Free Loan Scheme: “A Timely Intervention”

📅 June 2, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering economic empowerment, grassroots business support, and the policies lifting small traders across Edo State.

Market women in Edo North are among the first beneficiaries of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s N1 billion interest‑free loan scheme.

A quiet but powerful economic relief is spreading through the markets of Edo North. Governor Monday Okpebholo’s N1 billion interest‑free loan scheme has reached traders in Jattu, Igarra, and other communities, and the people who keep Edo’s informal economy alive are calling it exactly what it is: a timely intervention.

For years, small traders and market women have been at the mercy of informal lenders who charged up to 5 per cent monthly interest. On a N200,000 loan, that meant N10,000 going out every month just to service the debt — before a single kobo was spent on inventory, transport, or family needs. The governor’s scheme, implemented through EdoJobs in partnership with financial institutions, erases that burden entirely.

How the Scheme Works

Speaking at the rollout, Commissioner for Finance Engr. Emmanuel Okoebor put it plainly: “The real economy lives in our markets, in our shops, and in the daily hustle of our hardworking traders.” The scheme is built on three pillars:

Total fund: N1 billion ring‑fenced for small business owners.
Interest rate: Zero per cent — completely interest‑free.
Implementation: EdoJobs identifies and vets beneficiaries, while Participating Financial Institutions handle the disbursement.

The contrast with what traders were paying before is staggering. A loan that once came with a crushing monthly interest bill now comes with none of it. The full amount goes into the business, not into the pocket of a lender.

Traders Speak: “He Has Come to Rescue Us”

In Jattu Market, Etsako West, and Igarra Market, Akoko‑Edo, the mood is one of palpable relief. Beneficiaries describe the governor as someone who “has come to rescue traders and small business owners.” Freed from the monthly scramble for interest payments, they are now putting money into expanding stock, repairing stalls, and sending children to school.

Hon. Kerimu Shehu Kelly, Managing Director of EdoJobs, said the goal is to strengthen the entire SME sector and improve the economic wellbeing of traders and artisans. The scheme is designed to rotate, with recovered loans recycled to reach more beneficiaries in subsequent phases.

For the women who wake up before dawn to set up their stalls, the N1 billion fund is more than a policy — it is a bridge from survival to stability. The next disbursement phase is expected soon, and market associations across the state are watching closely.

For updates on Edo State business grants or how to apply, keep an eye on EdoJobs announcements and your local market association.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

CRPP Condemns Children’s Day Stampede at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium: Calls for Accountability After Pepper Spray Chaos Injures Over 50 Students

📅 June 1, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the fallout from the Children’s Day chaos at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium and the growing calls for government accountability.

Scenes from the Children's Day stampede at Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

A government event designed to celebrate schoolchildren became a scene of chaos, injury, and recrimination at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. Bouncers deployed pepper spray after suspected cultists reportedly invaded the venue and made inappropriate advances toward female students, triggering a stampede that left over 50 students — most of them girls — injured, with some fainting in the crush. Now, the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP), Edo State Chapter, is demanding answers.

In a sharply worded statement, the CRPP described the incident as “a failure of planning and crowd control,” an avoidable tragedy that exposed the weakness of security arrangements at a public event involving thousands of children. The group called on the Edo State Government to issue a public apology to the affected children, their parents, and their schools. It also demanded that the government pay compensation to cover medical bills and trauma, and immediately review safety protocols for all future state‑organised events.

The stampede has pierced the public confidence that had begun to build around the newly renovated stadium. Parents and school authorities are asking how an event meant for children’s welfare could have been so poorly managed. The CRPP also urged the Edo State Police Command and stadium management to strengthen security screening — especially at events involving minors — to ensure that what happened on May 27 never repeats itself.

As of May 31, the Edo State Government had not issued an official statement on the stampede. The police have confirmed that investigations are ongoing. For the families of the injured students, the silence from the state is its own form of injury. Children’s Day should be about joy and safety. At the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, it was neither.

Were you at the stadium that day, or do you know any of the students affected? Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for further updates and the government’s response.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Flood Submerges Over 100 Homes in Etsako Central After Heavy Weekend Rainfall — Residents Call on Edo Government to Dredge River Niger Tributaries

📅 June 1, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Reporting on the flooding emergency in Etsako Central, the displacement of families, and the community's call for lasting protection.

Over 100 homes in Anegbette and Udaba were submerged on Saturday after hours of torrential rainfall caused River Niger tributaries to overflow.

For the second consecutive rainy season, communities along the River Niger's tributaries in Etsako Central have been swallowed by floodwaters. On Saturday, May 30, hours of relentless rainfall caused the banks to burst, submerging more than 100 houses in the Anegbette and Udaba communities and forcing over 500 residents to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs.

The displaced have been packed into a primary school in Fugar, the local government headquarters, where classrooms not built for habitation are now serving as emergency shelters. Families sleep on bare floors, and children who should be in school are instead queuing for food handouts. Community leaders say the flooding was not a surprise; it was an inevitability. The tributaries that feed the River Niger in this area have not been dredged in years, leaving them too shallow to contain the volume of water that comes with heavy rain. "We have been shouting about this for years," one elder in Anegbette told Unuevbo TV. "Every rainy season, we lose our homes. Nothing is ever done."

The Edo State Emergency Management Agency (Edo‑SEMA) has deployed a rapid assessment team to the area and promised the immediate distribution of mattresses, food, and medicine. But emergency relief, however swift, is not the solution the community is demanding. They want the tributaries dredged, the waterways cleared, and a permanent end to a cycle of displacement that has become as predictable as the rain itself.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for further updates on the flood response and the community's call for long‑term solutions.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Jubilation as Benin Specialist Teaching Hospital Receives First Batch of New Doctors After Two‑Year Employment Freeze — 78 Resident Doctors Resume Monday

📅 June 1, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering healthcare milestones, labour negotiations, and the human stories behind Edo State's public services.

The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has ended a two‑year freeze on the employment of resident doctors, bringing relief to patients and the medical community.

There was a palpable sense of relief across Benin City this weekend after the management of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) announced the appointment of 78 new resident doctors — the first such intake since a punishing employment embargo was imposed in 2024. The decision, made public on Saturday, May 30, brings to an end months of tense negotiations between the hospital's board and the Edo State chapter of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).

The new doctors, many of whom have been jobless since completing their housemanship years ago, are expected to resume clinical duties on Monday, June 1. For a hospital that has been stretched dangerously thin — with long patient queues and exhausted junior doctors working double shifts — the injection of fresh hands could not have come at a more critical moment. "We have been waiting for this day for two years," one of the newly appointed doctors told Unuevbo TV. "It feels like a second chance."

Community leaders in Oredo Local Government Area, where the teaching hospital serves a population of over 400,000, welcomed the development with cautious optimism. While the immediate impact on wait times and ward coverage is expected to be significant, many are calling on the Federal Government to go further — to lift the embargo nationally and address the systemic underfunding that led to the freeze in the first place. For now, though, the white coats are returning to the wards, and for the patients of Benin City, that is a victory worth celebrating.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on healthcare delivery and public service developments across Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Oba of Benin Enlists Rotary International to Recover Over 3,000 Looted Artefacts Still Held by Private Collectors and Museums Abroad

📅 May 25, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering cultural heritage, restitution efforts, and the palace diplomacy shaping Benin's global campaign for its stolen treasures.

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, held high‑level talks with Rotary International's John Hewko in a push to recover stolen artefacts.

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, has opened a new diplomatic front in the long campaign to reclaim the kingdom's stolen heritage — by enlisting one of the world's largest service organisations. In a meeting at his palace in Benin City, the monarch held high‑level talks with Rotary International's CEO and Secretary‑General, John Hewko, seeking to deploy the organisation's 1.2 million members across the globe in the effort to recover over 3,000 artefacts looted during the British invasion of 1897.

Those artefacts — intricate bronzes, carved ivories, and royal regalia — are not only in museums. Many, the Oba said, are in the hands of private collectors in America and Europe, far from public view and beyond the reach of formal restitution negotiations. "I know because I have seen them," the monarch told Hewko, his words carrying the weight of a royal court that has spent over a century waiting for its cultural soul to be returned.

Hewko, who was received with full palace honours, commended the Oba's commitment to peace and mediation — qualities that have defined Ewuare II's reign since his ascension in 2016. He pledged Rotary's support in driving cultural advocacy for the artefacts' return, describing the cause as one that aligns with the organisation's global mission of building understanding and goodwill. The promise, though not yet backed by a concrete programme of action, represents a significant expansion of the palace's diplomatic toolkit. With Rotary clubs in nearly every country, the campaign for restitution now has a grassroots network of unprecedented scale.

The meeting adds to a growing momentum behind the restitution movement, which has seen European museums begin — slowly, and sometimes reluctantly — to return looted objects. But the private collections remain the hardest to touch. For the Oba, the partnership with Rotary is a recognition that the moral case for return must be made not just in government chambers, but in the communities where the artefacts now sit. The 1.2 million Rotarians may yet become the palace's most persuasive ambassadors.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Benin restitution campaign, cultural heritage news, and the palace's global diplomacy.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Fear Rocks Ekpoma as Armed Men Abduct Two Female Students Near Ambrose Alli University — Three Male Companions Escape, Police Yet to Issue Statement

📅 May 25, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering campus security, community safety, and the troubling wave of abductions around Edo's tertiary institutions.

Tension has gripped Ekpoma after two female students were dragged into the bush by armed men on Friday night.

A late‑night walk near Ambrose Alli University turned into a nightmare on Friday, May 22, when armed men attacked a group of five young people and dragged two female students into the bush. The three young men who were with them managed to flee, their escape a small mercy in an incident that has sent waves of fear through Ekpoma and the wider Esan West community.

The attack happened along a route that students have long considered relatively safe. Witness accounts, captured in videos now circulating widely on social media, describe a scene of confusion and terror — the sudden appearance of armed figures, the desperate flight of the young men, and the screams of the two girls as they were taken. Their whereabouts remain unknown, and as of Monday morning, the Edo State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement, a silence that has deepened the anxiety of residents already on edge.

This is not the first time the university community has been plunged into mourning by violence. A similar attack on May 3 turned deadly, and the unrest that swept through the area in January resulted in the arrest of 52 people. A pattern is hardening, and with it the sense that the authorities are perpetually one step behind. Students are now demanding a visible security presence on the routes they use every day — a demand that, so far, has been met with silence.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on this developing story and the security situation around Edo's tertiary institutions.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Edo IDP Centre Overwhelmed as Displaced Families Fleeing Katsina Attacks Beg for Shelter — "We Have No Space, No Resources," Coordinator Cries Out

📅 May 25, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering humanitarian emergencies, displaced communities, and the local heroes struggling to provide shelter in Edo State.

The Home of the Needy IDP camp in Ovia North-East has become a last resort for families fleeing terrorism in northern Nigeria.

A humanitarian crisis is quietly brewing in Ovia North‑East Local Government Area, where the Home of the Needy internally displaced persons camp has become an unwilling magnet for some of Nigeria's most desperate families. Founded years ago to shelter victims of violence from Borno, Plateau and Kebbi, the camp is now being flooded with pleas from families fleeing fresh terrorist attacks in Katsina — and its founder says there is simply no room left.

Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, who runs the centre, spoke with the exhaustion of a man who has spent years saying yes and has finally run out of yes to give. "People from Katsina are calling us every day asking to come to our centre, but where are we going to keep them?" he said on Sunday. "We have no space. We have no resources. We are stretched beyond anything we have ever faced." The camp, which has relied largely on donations and personal sacrifice, now finds itself at the sharp end of a conflict that has spread far beyond its original epicentre. Folorunsho warned that the insurgency has crept into Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Oyo and Ekiti states, with killings that go unreported and victims who never make the news.

In the face of this overwhelming demand, the centre has begun a quiet pivot towards a longer‑term solution. It has secured farmland in the Federal Capital Territory and is working to resettle displaced families into agricultural communities where they can feed themselves rather than depend on aid. It is an ambitious plan for a small organisation running on faith and fumes, but Folorunsho believes it is the only sustainable path forward. "We cannot keep people in camps forever," he said. "They need dignity. They need land. They need a future." For now, however, the phones keep ringing with voices from Katsina, and the camp's gates — already full — cannot open wide enough.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on Edo's humanitarian efforts and the communities shouldering the weight of Nigeria's displacement crisis.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Ogbeide‑Ihama Extends Olive Branch as Ize‑Iyamu Still Rejects APC Edo South Primary Result — Party Recognises No Parallel Declaration

📅 May 22, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Tracking the fallout from the Edo APC primaries, the parallel declaration drama, and the quiet diplomacy attempting to stitch the party back together.

Omoregie Ogbeide‑Ihama has reached out to Osagie Ize‑Iyamu after the disputed APC primary, but the parallel declaration cloud still hangs over the party.

The dust from the Edo South APC senatorial primary has not settled — but the shape of the terrain is becoming clearer. Omoregie Ogbeide‑Ihama remains the party's official flagbearer, his 27,154‑vote landslide confirmed by the returning officer and left standing by a national secretariat that has refused to validate the parallel result proclaimed by Osagie Ize‑Iyamu's camp. Yet the defeated aspirant has not blinked. Five days after the May 17 primary, Ize‑Iyamu still rejects the outcome, and the spectre of a divided party lingers over Benin City.

What has changed is the tone from the winner. On Tuesday, May 20, Ogbeide‑Ihama extended what he called a "heartfelt olive branch" to Ize‑Iyamu and to the displaced incumbent, Senator Neda Imasuen. The gesture was deliberate — a signal that the man who swept the delegates will not govern the ticket with a victor's vengeance. "We are one family in the APC," Ogbeide‑Ihama said. "The election is over. Now we must face 2027 together." Imasuen, who described the primary as "a sham" after he was allegedly disenfranchised in his own ward, has accepted his loss in principle, ruling out defection. Ize‑Iyamu has not — and his silence since the parallel declaration speaks louder than any statement.

The parallel announcement, made by Abubakar Kabiru at a separate venue, has received no official recognition from the APC's national leadership. Party sources confirm that Ogbeide‑Ihama's name has been forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the candidate, a procedural step that gives him a decisive legal advantage. The ball is now in Ize‑Iyamu's court. He can file an internal appeal, drag the party to court, or accept the reconciliation offer. For now, he has done none of the above — and the clock is ticking. The olive branch is on the table. Whether it is taken will determine whether the APC enters 2027 with a united front or a festering wound.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the unresolved disputes, and the political manoeuvres shaping the 2027 elections.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

House Majority Leader Ihonvbere Loses Re-election Ticket in Owan Federal Constituency; Ex-Commissioner Ijegbia Emerges

📅 May 22, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the Edo APC primaries, the downfall of a federal lawmaker, and the local forces reshaping Owan politics.

Prof. Julius Ihonvbere lost his grip on the Owan Federal Constituency ticket to former Commissioner Andrew Ijegbia.

The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, has become the highest‑profile casualty of the All Progressives Congress primaries in Edo State, losing his return ticket for the Owan Federal Constituency in a contest that sent shockwaves through the political establishment. The veteran lawmaker, who has represented Owan East and Owan West since 2019, was comprehensively defeated by former Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbia, who polled 3,695 votes to Ihonvbere's 1,005.

The margin was brutal. Ijegbia, a relative newcomer to federal legislative politics, swept four of the five other aspirants aside with a performance that suggested the delegates were in no mood for continuity. For Ihonvbere, the loss strips him of the platform he has used to shape the legislative agenda from one of the most powerful positions in the lower chamber. His defeat is part of a broader national pattern: over 70 serving APC National Assembly members lost their return tickets in these primaries, a cull that has spared neither seniority nor title.

Ijegbia's victory was greeted with jubilation by a faction of the Owan APC that had long grumbled about Ihonvbere's grip on the constituency. The former commissioner, who served in the state executive council, campaigned on a promise of closer attention to constituency needs — a pitch that resonated with delegates who felt the Majority Leader had become more Abuja than Owan. For the APC, the result solves one problem and creates another: a fresh, popular candidate now carries the party's flag, but the exit of a sitting Majority Leader from the parliamentary stage weakens Edo's influence in the House leadership. The balance of power in Owan has shifted, and 2027 will test whether the delegates' gamble pays off.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the changing face of the National Assembly, and the political battles shaping the road to 2027.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Edo APC Primaries: Ex-Rep Ogbeide-Ihama Defeats Incumbent Senator Imasuen in Major Upset; Ize-Iyamu Rejects Results, Leading to Parallel Declarations

📅 May 22, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the Edo APC primaries, the upsets, parallel declarations, and the political realignments reshaping the state ahead of 2027.

Former Rep Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama delivered a stunning blow to the Edo APC establishment by toppling Senator Neda Imasuen.

The All Progressives Congress primary for the Edo South Senatorial District produced the biggest shock of the state's nomination season. Former House of Representatives member Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama swept aside the incumbent, Senator Neda Imasuen, in a landslide that few saw coming. Official results gave Ogbeide-Ihama 27,154 votes to Imasuen's 13,580, a margin so wide it left no room for recount arguments. Former governorship candidate Osagie Ize-Iyamu trailed in third place with 6,785 votes — but his reaction to the outcome ensured the drama was only beginning.

Within hours of the results being announced, Ize-Iyamu publicly rejected the figures and was declared the winner at a parallel collation centre in Benin City. The split-screen moment — one aspirant accepting defeat, another declaring victory from a different podium — crystallised the chaos that has come to define the Edo APC's primary season. Senator Imasuen, for his part, did not mince words. He described the entire exercise as "a sham" and pointedly blamed external factors for the result. But he also ruled out defecting, a signal that the party's internal wounds may fester rather than heal.

Ogbeide-Ihama's victory is significant beyond the numbers. A former PDP stalwart who only recently crossed over to the APC, his ability to dismantle an incumbent in his first outing under the new banner suggests that the party's grassroots are more fluid than the establishment believed. For the APC leadership, the result is a double-edged sword: a fresh, energetic candidate with a proven electoral base, but also a reminder that no incumbent is safe — and that the primary process, when contested fiercely, can leave deep scars. With 2027 approaching, those scars may prove costly.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the fallout from the senatorial contests, and the political battles shaping the road to 2027.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Senator Oshiomhole, Other Bigwigs Secure Edo Senatorial Tickets Amidst Widespread Allegations of Imposition and Irregularities

📅 May 22, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering the Edo APC primaries, the victories of established heavyweights, and the simmering allegations threatening party unity.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole was among the bigwigs who secured APC senatorial tickets in Edo State, despite widespread protests over the conduct of the primaries.

The All Progressives Congress primaries in Edo State delivered a split verdict this week: the party's biggest names — led by Senator Adams Oshiomhole — held their ground, while a wave of allegations over manipulation, imposition, and outright irregularities swept through the exercise, threatening to fracture the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Oshiomhole, the former national chairman of the APC and a dominant force in Edo politics, secured the ticket to represent Edo North for a second term. In Edo Central, Senator Joseph Ikpea also emerged victorious, consolidating the grip of the established political class on the party's senatorial nominations. For these figures, the primaries were an exercise in consolidation, their structures holding firm against challengers who struggled to gain traction.

But the air around the primaries was thick with discontent. Across the state, defeated aspirants and party stakeholders voiced angry complaints about the conduct of the elections. Allegations ranged from the late arrival of materials, to the exclusion of delegates, to the outright imposition of candidates by powerful political godfathers. In Edo South, where former Rep Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama toppled incumbent Senator Neda Imasuen, the defeated senator described the entire exercise as "a sham," though he stopped short of leaving the party. Parallel collation centres sprang up in some constituencies, producing rival winners and deepening the sense of chaos.

Party insiders warn that the fallout from these primaries could have consequences beyond the immediate disputes. "We are creating wounds that will not heal by 2027," one APC chieftain in Edo Central told Unuevbo TV, speaking on condition of anonymity. "When you impose candidates and rig primaries, you do not build a party — you build a time bomb." The worry is that disaffected members may drift towards opposition platforms like the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which has been actively courting aggrieved APC and PDP politicians. Senator Imasuen, for his part, noted the contrast between the relatively orderly consensus arrangements in Edo North and Central and the chaotic scenes in his own district, suggesting the problem was not uniform across the state.

For now, the bigwigs have their tickets. Oshiomhole, Ikpea, and their allies will lead the APC into the 2027 senatorial contest with the weight of incumbency and party machinery behind them. But the allegations they leave in their wake — and the embittered rivals they leave behind — may prove harder to manage than any general election opponent.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on the Edo APC primaries, the fallout from the nominations, and the 2027 election battleground.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Ubiaja Community Protests Removal of Fire Truck After Spare Parts Market Razed, Goods Worth Millions Destroyed

📅 May 21, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering community emergencies, public infrastructure disputes, and the local stories that matter across Edo State.

Residents of Ubiaja are demanding the return of their community fire truck after a weekend blaze destroyed goods worth millions of naira.

A weekend fire that tore through a spare parts market in Ubiaja, Esan South‑West Local Government Area, has sparked fury not just over the destruction — but over the absence of the one asset that might have contained it. On Saturday evening, May 16, as traders were closing up, flames erupted and swept through rows of shops. Locals rushed to fight the fire with buckets, but the community's fire truck — a constituency project facilitated by a former House of Representatives member — was nowhere to be found.

The truck, residents say, had been relocated to the Benin Airport on what was described as a "special assignment." Its absence, they believe, turned what could have been a contained incident into a catastrophe. Goods worth several millions of naira were lost. Livelihoods built over years disappeared in smoke. And with no official explanation that satisfies the community, grief has hardened into protest.

Youths from Esan South‑West have now called on political leaders to ensure the immediate return of the truck to Ubiaja. Their demand is not just about a vehicle; it is about the principle that community‑designated assets should serve the communities they were meant for. "We will not accept a situation where our safety equipment is taken away without consultation, and then a disaster happens," one youth leader said. The warning is clear: if the truck is not returned, the protests will continue — and the next time a fire breaks out, the community will know exactly who to blame.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on community safety, infrastructure accountability, and the stories that matter across Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Commercial Quantities of Coal Discovered in Uromi, Edo State as Government Woos Investors

📅 May 21, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering economic development, natural resource discoveries, and the investment opportunities reshaping Edo State.

Edo State Commissioner for Information Kassim Afegbua announced the discovery of commercial coal deposits in Uromi during a press briefing in Benin City.

The Edo State Government has confirmed the discovery of coal deposits in commercial quantities around the Uromi community in Esan North‑East Local Government Area, a find that positions the state alongside Enugu and other traditional coal‑producing regions. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kassim Afegbua, made the announcement on Tuesday, May 19, at a press briefing in Benin City, framing it as a gateway to industrial revival and a magnet for investors.

"Edo State is not just about oil and gas," Afegbua said. "We have coal in commercial quantities, limestone, gold, and vast arable land. The message we are sending to the investment community is simple: come and see, come and invest." The commissioner tied the discovery to the administration's broader ease‑of‑doing‑business reforms, which he said had created a stable regulatory environment that reduces the friction historically associated with setting up extractive operations in the state.

The Uromi discovery has been quietly explored for months, with preliminary surveys yielding enough data to convince the government to go public. Coal mining in Nigeria has a long but troubled history, and Edo's entry into the sector will be watched closely to see whether it can avoid the environmental and labour pitfalls that have plagued other coal communities. Afegbua insisted that the government would enforce strict environmental standards and ensure that host communities benefit directly from any extraction activity.

In a related development, the commissioner disclosed that the state government has taken delivery of 50 CNG‑powered 52‑seater buses, with an additional 50 on the way. The buses, which run on cleaner compressed natural gas, are to be deployed across the three senatorial districts to ease transportation costs for residents — a tangible, if modest, counterpoint to the larger promise of coal‑driven prosperity.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on Edo State's economic development, natural resource discoveries, and investment opportunities.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.

Unuevbo TV

Troops and Police Arrest 17 Suspected Kidnappers, Rescue Two Victims in Coordinated Clearance Operations Across Edo North and Edo Central

📅 May 21, 2026 | ⏱️ 3 min read

✍️ This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams — Covering security operations, law enforcement successes, and the fight against kidnapping across Edo State.

Combined security forces during clearance operations in Edo North and Edo Central that led to the arrest of 17 suspected kidnappers.

A coordinated wave of security operations across Edo State has delivered one of the most significant single‑week hauls against kidnapping gangs in recent memory. Between May 12 and May 17, troops of the Nigerian Army's 4 Brigade, working alongside police operatives and the Edo State Security Corps, arrested 17 suspected kidnappers and rescued two victims in separate but simultaneous actions that stretched from Owan East to Igueben.

The first breakthrough came during clearance operations that began on May 12 in the forests of Owan East and Esan South‑East local government areas. Acting on intelligence, soldiers and police moved into known kidnapper camps, arresting 12 suspects and dismantling hideouts that had served as staging grounds for attacks along the state's troubled northern corridors. Weapons and communications equipment were recovered, though authorities have not yet released a full inventory.

As those operations were underway, a separate police team achieved a quieter but equally crucial victory. On May 13, Jemila Ibrahim, who had been abducted days earlier, was rescued unhurt after sustained bush combing around the Iyuku Community in Jattu. Five suspects were arrested in connection with her abduction. Then, on May 17, the Edo State Security Corps engaged kidnappers in a gun battle in Igueben, freeing a health worker who had been taken hostage. The abductors had demanded a ₦50 million ransom; they got neither the money nor their captive. Three suspects were arrested.

Security agencies have vowed that the operations are not a one‑off. "We will sustain this tempo until every kidnapper hideout in Edo State is dismantled," a military source told Unuevbo TV. For communities along the state's northern and central corridors — where the fear of abduction has reshaped daily life — the arrests and rescues are a rare and welcome sign that the hunters are finally catching up with the hunted.

Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for more on security operations, community safety, and the fight against crime across Edo State.

📺 Watch Nigerian politics 24/7 on our Politics Channel.

📢 This post was authored by Jefferson Ellams
© 2026 Unuevbo TV – All rights reserved. Republication only with permission.