By Simeon OSAJIE
The Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, on Tuesday disclosed that government plans to impose the same level of sanctions on internet fraudsters, popularly called “Yahoo Yahoo Boys,” as it does on kidnappers and cultists across the state.
He stressed that the government is determined to clamp down on all forms of criminal activities threatening the peace and reputation of the state.
Prince Afegbua disclosed this while speaking with journalists in the state regular briefing with the media practitioners in Benin City, the state capital.
Afegbua who said the incident that happened at the University of Benin Main Gate was disheartening stating that the news making the rounds alleged that he was killed over unresolved sharing of money made from internet fraud.
According to him, “Please, we are calling on the Edo public that our zero tolerance to cultism is still very much in force, and no amount of persuasion that will take our eyes off that particular decision, that particular agenda, and we’re even going to add the issue of ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ to that now, because we are seeing that because cultism is being tackled head-on, they now hide under the auspices and umbrellas of ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ to commit havoc. The one at the University of Benin Main Gate is a ready example.
“So, Governor Okpebholo is clear-headed on where he’s taking the state, and no amount of frustration from members of the public or some renegade, so to speak, will take us out of that.
“We are going to continue our approach, our commitment to ensuring that we nip all of this crisis in the bud.
“We may not have provided answers to all the nagging problems of cultism, but people will bear witness that Edo has been peaceful to a large extent but for pockets of kidnapping here and there”.
While reeling out plans of the state government to ease the burden of transportation on the citizens of the state, Afegbua said the government has taken delivery of 50-52 seater buses, CNG and it is still expecting 50 more to make it 100.
“We’re expecting another 50 buses of 52-seater, our target is 100 buses of 52-seater.”
“Those buses will soon be released to members of the public to ease transportation concerns across the three senatorial districts.
“I don’t want to unveil the distribution pattern but we are going to distribute them across the three senatorial districts to ease transportation and also to minimize the hazards people have to go through each time they need to travel,” he added.
He called on the citizens of the state to desist from blocking the waterways with refuse noting that the federal government had earlier warned of flooding in some parts of the states.
The Commissioner promised to reach out to the Commissioner of Environment, Barr. Nosa Adams over the alleged environmental pollution by Iyayi Rubber Factory that was recently relocated from Egba Community to the Okhoro axis of the Benin metropolis by the heir apparent of the Iyayi Conglomerate, Caesar Iyayi.