•The protesting Auchi youths
Hundreds of youths in Auchi, the administrative headquarters of Etsako West Local Government yesterday staged a peaceful protest over gully erosion ravaging the community and incessant kidnapping of their people in the area.
The youths converged on the popular Jattu Junction with their placards, calling on the government to address the gully erosion and incessant kidnapping in the community, reports Daily Independent.
The youth under the umbrella of Auchi Youth Council (AYC) blocked the Jattu axis of the Benin-Auchi road to draw the attention of government to address the gully problem.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr Chalaman Momoh said the protest is to draw the attention of government and relevant authorities over the gullies and incessant kidnapping in the community.
•Erosion
“We are here to cry out to the government on the issue of gully erosion that is ravaging our community.
”We have written to the government and we have not gotten a response.
“We are also having the issue of kidnapping everyday.
”We have these kidnappers going into the homes of our people in the community and are being kidnapped.
“So we are here to show solidarity and we are calling on government to come to Auchi to salvage the gully erosion menace.
“And put an end to the incessant kidnapping of our people in the community,” Momoh said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator, Edo Take It Back Movement, Mr Hafiz Lawal said no fewer than 15 persons in Auchi have been kidnapped with over N70 million paid as ransom.
Lawal, who is also the Coordinator of Coalition for Edo North Youths for Good Governance (CENYGG) listed the gully erosion sites to Utsokhwilli gully, water tanker road and Auchi-Igarra road.
Lawal noted that the protest tagged Fix erosion ravaging Auchi and incessant kidnapping is to draw government attention to their demands.
“The demands we are placing before the government is the erosion ravaging Auchi, as well as the issue of insecurity with 15 persons from Auchi so far kidnapped.
”And we are doing the protest to draw the attention of government to come to our rescue,” Lawal said.
Meanwhile, commuters and motorists got stranded at the Jattu junction on Benin-Auchi-Okene highway with a significant number of heavy duty trucks, smaller vehicles, motorcycles, and commuters were seen in long queues at the junction as protest continue.
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Army and Special Security Force were on ground to ensure law and order by the protesters in order not to be hijacked by hoodlums.
