The Edo State Government has dismissed as baseless the allegation by the Indigenous People of Biafra that Governor Monday Okpebholo allocated N6bn to compensate “Fulani terrorists” in the wake of the Uromi killings, where 16 hunters from Kano State were lynched. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Fred Itua, condemned the claim made by IPOB, calling it a malicious attempt to incite ethnic division and destabilise the peace of Edo State. The statement described the accusation as not only false but also a dangerous distortion of facts aimed at sowing discord within the state. “The attention of the Edo State Government has been drawn to a recent press statement issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, a proscribed terrorist organisation by the Federal Government of Nigeria, in which it falsely accuses Governor Monday Okpebholo of allocating N6bn to compensate so-called ‘Fulani terrorists’ and alleges betrayal of the people of Edo State,” Itua said. “We consider this publication not only inciting but also a vile attempt by a terrorist group to distort facts, sow ethnic division, and destabilise the peace and unity of Edo State.” The controversy stems from an incident that occurred on March 28, when 16 hunters from Kano State were brutally lynched in the Udune Efandion community of Uromi. Following the killings, Governor Okpebholo visited Kano to appeal to the families of the victims and to prevent any reprisals. A subsequent delegation from Kano State also visited Edo to discuss compensation for the families of the deceased hunters. However, IPOB, in a release on April 21, alleged that the Governor had paid billions of Naira in compensation for the northern hunters, a claim that the Edo government swiftly refuted. “No compensation of N6 billion was approved or paid to any group,” Itua stated, calling the figure “fictitious, malicious, and deliberately misleading.” The government also criticised IPOB for attempting to exploit the tragic incident to advance its agenda of ethnic disintegration and violence. “It is a familiar strategy of IPOB to spew falsehood and incite hatred under the guise of activism,” the statement continued. “Their desperate attempt to drag Governor Okpebholo into their agenda of violence and ethnic disintegration will fail.” Governor Okpebholo’s administration, according to Itua, has been committed to justice, peace, and the safety of all Edo residents, regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds. The statement reaffirmed the government’s rejection of any efforts to incite ethnic violence and emphasised that Edo State is known for its unity, hospitality, and progressive values. “We reject IPOB’s attempts to use blood-stained rhetoric to cause unrest in our land,” the statement read. “Efforts to export their terrorist ideology into Edo State are dead on arrival.” The Edo government called on security agencies to investigate the sources of the inciting publication, emphasising that no group, no matter how loud, should be allowed to threaten public peace or incite ethnic violence.
