The protest, organized by the Auchi Youth Council (AYC), saw hundreds of young people gather at the popular Jattu Junction, where they displayed placards and chanted solidarity songs to demand urgent intervention from the government. As part of their action, the protesters blocked the Jattu section of the Benin-Auchi Road, causing a major disruption in vehicular movement, while commuters were stranded.
Speaking during the demonstration, Mr. Chalaman Momoh, who spoke on behalf of the protesters, said the action became necessary due to the persistent neglect by the government despite several appeals.
“We are here to cry out to the government on the issue of gully erosion that is ravaging our community,” he said. “We have written to the government and we have not gotten response. We are also having the issue of kidnapping every day.
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.”Another participant in the protest, Mr. Hafiz Lawal, who is the Coordinator of both the Edo Take It Back Movement and the Coalition for Edo North Youths for Good Governance (CENYGG), revealed alarming statistics related to the recent wave of insecurity.
“No fewer than 15 persons in Auchi have been kidnapped with over N70 million paid as ransom,” Lawal stated. He also highlighted critical erosion sites in the area, including the Utsokhwilli gully, Water Tanker Road, and the Auchi-Igarra Road.
He explained that the protest, themed “Fix erosion ravaging Auchi and incessant kidnapping,” was intended to get the attention of relevant authorities to act before the situation worsens.
“The demands we are placing before government is the erosion ravaging Auchi. The issue of insecurity with 15 persons from Auchi so far kidnap. And we are doing the protest to draw the attention of government to come to our rescue,” Lawal said.
As a result of the demonstration, the Jattu junction of the Benin-Auchi-Okene highway experienced significant traffic gridlock, leaving numerous trucks, cars, motorcycles, and passengers stranded for hours.
