Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo says his administration will not tolerate violence in the state as the 2019 general elections draw near.
The governor said this when the new Commander, 107 Air Maritime Group, Nigeria Air Force, Wing Commander Fatai Ganiyu, visited him at Government House, Benin, on Thursday.
He said that his administration would not condone hooliganism and other forms of violence often recorded during electioneering in the state.
“We are heading towards political times and there are some bad habits that are trying to reoccur.
“As a government, we will not accept thugs in our politics and we are going to take serious action against anybody or group of people who perpetrate untoward acts in any form,” he said.
The governor stated that his administration was finalising amendment of the state’s laws to strengthen law enforcement agencies to deal with rising cultism activities in the state.
“We are a transit state and people come in and out of the state; as a result, we must ensure that lives and property are secured,” he said.
Obaseki said that his administration enjoyed cordial relationship with the 107 Command and would continue to support it to ensure that it succeeded.
Earlier, Ganiyu had thanked the governor and his government for the continued support given to the air command.
He assured that the military would continue to support the governor to ensure a crime-free state.
“We are already assisting the state in the area of patrol to ensure the safety of lives and property” he said.
In a related development, the governor received the new Zonal Coordinator, Zone `G’ Command, Nigeria Prisons Service, Assistant Controller-General Vincent Ubi, on a courtesy visit.
He said that his administration would partner the federal agency on prison decongestion by expediting actions of the Committee on Prerogative of Mercy and building of a new prison to decongest existing prisons in the state.
“Let us work together to design a new prison and correction centre in the state that will have the necessary facilities and a skills acquisition centre.
“We need to relocate the Benin Prison away from the city centre and build a new one,” Ubi said.
The coordinator, who is in charge of Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi, said that one of the problems being faced in Edo was prison congestion.
He said that there were no fewer than 2, 835 inmates in Edo, with Oko prison having 1,383 inmates instead of 608 it was built to accommodate.
Benin prison, he said had 852 inmates as against 230 inmates’ capacity it was built for. (NAN)
