Protest Rocks Edo State As Nigerian Govt Seize 2,000 Guns From Security Personnel
Edo State Vigilantes in Uromi, have taken to the streets to protest against the collection of their weapons by the State Commissioner of Police for two consecutive days.
This is coming in the wake of the herdsmen crisis.
“We are here until they answer us; I’ve been a vigilante for 21 years,” said one of the protesting vigilantes.
The vigilantes, who have been working closely with the Divisional Police Officers to maintain peace in the areas, claim that without their arms, they can no longer effectively support the police.
The vigilantes, many with over 20 years of service, were reportedly trained by the government on how to shoot, dive, and perform other security-related tasks, SaharaReporters gathered. After completing their training, they were given certificates.
However, when the new Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, arrived, he requested that they hand over their guns, claiming he wanted to recalibrate Edo State security architecture.
The protesting vigilantes said they complied but were surprised when the CP Agbonika later boasted about collecting over 2,000 guns from them.
The vigilantes are now protesting, citing concerns over their safety. With many escapees from police custody roaming free, they feel their lives are in danger.
“We are no longer safe, so we need our guns back,” said the spokesman for the group.
“We are yet to work until they answer us because we have suffered on this job. As a person like me, I have been a vigilante for 21 years. Now, if you check my hand, more than 15 bullets are inside my hand currently.”
“We have been working with our Divisional Police Officer right from the beginning. We worked with him and any area we received calls from, we move in to make restore peace,” said one of the vigilantes in video clip shared on X by @NigeriaStories.
“When there was a problem in Ikpoba-Okha, we came out from our houses to make sure we supported the DPO to ensure there was peace in Ikpoba-Okha. Now they have collected our arms; we cannot support the DPO again and many things have been happening around Edo State.
“That’s why we the vigilantes are protesting. They trained us on how to shoot, dive and do many things. After training, they gave us our certificates. Unfortunately, when the new CP came, he said he wanted to repair Edo State and we respect him as a good citizen of Edo State, we used our hands to give him our guns.
“After we gave him the guns, he came out to say on EBS (Edo Broadcasting Station) to say is it easy to recover over 2000 guns from the boys? So, we are tired; we don’t know what we are doing? That’s why we, the vigilantes of Edo State, came out to beg our governor to come to our aid and to come and rescue us from our enemies. As you can see now, many escapees – people we arrested and put in police custody many of them have come out and our lives are in danger. We are no longer safe so we need our guns back.”
Naija News House recently reported that a group of northern hunters from Kano State was intercepted by Uromi vigilantes in March 2025.
The group was suspected of being kidnappers. The incident resulted in the lynching of 16 individuals, sparking outrage from many Nigerians.
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other northern leaders condemned the killings, claiming the northerners were merely hunters and not terrorists.
