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AdvoKC Foundation is calling on Governor Monday Okpebholo to fulfil his cornerstone campaign promise of establishing the Edo State Security Trust Fund. While acknowledging the Governor’s recent deployment of patrol vehicles, the Foundation emphasises that a sustainable solution to the state’s security crisis requires the immediate institutional framework he promised the Edo people.
In the first weeks of 2026, the people of Edo State have faced a harrowing wave of violence. On January 2nd, the kidnapping of the Momoh brothers in Auchi resulted in the tragic murder of Abu Momoh while his brother remains in captivity. This was followed by the January 9th killing of a young man in Ekpoma, an event that sparked widespread unrest, the vandalisation of the Onojie’s palace, and the indefinite closure of schools across Edo Central.
“The Edo people voted for the SHINE agenda because it promised security as its first letter,” said Nelson Otabor, Programme Lead for Okpebholometer. “While we see the 10 patrol vehicles handed over in Irrua last Saturday, 10 vans cannot replace a State Security Trust Fund. One is a temporary gesture; the other is a permanent shield.”
During his campaign, Governor Okpebholo specifically pledged to establish the Edo State Security Trust Fund to coordinate resources and provide high-tech support for security agencies. However, according to the latest data on promisetracker.ng, this promise remains "NOT YET RATED."
Despite the signing of the ₦939 billion 2026 "Budget of Hope and Growth" in December, there is currently no executive bill before the House of Assembly to create the legal structure for this Fund. The absence of this framework means that the brave men of the Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) and local hunters lack the structured insurance, technology, and long-term funding needed to clear kidnappers out of Edo forests.
AdvoKC Foundation notes that while the Governor has recently integrated 2,500 new personnel into the security corps and approved a new welfare package, these steps remain vulnerable without the Security Trust Fund. “Edo Central has been burning, and while the fire is being managed, we haven't built the fire station,” added Onyinye Edyson, Project Manager at AdvoKC. “The people are not asking for a governor who only responds to riots; they are asking for the system he promised, one that prevents the kidnapping before the protest begins.”
AdvoKC Foundation respectfully urges Governor Okpebholo to:
History will remember Governor Okpebholo not by the vehicles he donated, but by the institutions he built to keep his people alive. The time to activate the Edo State Security Trust Fund is now.