The tragic events of Wednesday, September 10, 2025, where five gallant security personnel were brutally murdered in broad daylight in separate attacks in Egbe, should strike every one of us with fear and deep concern. If those armed men, trained and uniformed, could be so easily overwhelmed, what then becomes the fate of the ordinary farmer, trader, student, and traveler in Yagba West?
We cannot pretend that these killings are isolated incidents. They are loud warnings of how vulnerable our communities have become. Bandits now operate with confidence, treating human life as worthless, while our people live in fear of the next attack. This is not just a security failure; it is a crisis of survival for the common man.
I appreciate the establishment of security infrastructure like the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Egbe, yet I must ask again: of what use is a base if our people cannot sleep in peace or walk freely without fear of gunfire? Security is not about buildings or signposts; it is about presence, action, and trust that the system will protect the weakest among us.
If those who carry guns to defend us could fall so cheaply, what shield remains for the ordinary man who owns no weapon, whose only possession is hope and prayer? Shall we continue to fold our arms until bandits freely dictate when we plant, when we harvest, when we travel, and even when we mourn?
The truth is simple: if we do not rise as a people to support and demand more from our government, the ordinary man will become the first casualty of this neglect. Our community leaders must speak with one voice, our elders must revive traditional systems of vigilance, and our government must match words with decisive action.
Insecurity has no respect for status. Today it is the police; tomorrow it may be anyone. If we delay, we condemn ourselves to a life of perpetual fear. It is time to act, for the life of the ordinary man depends on it.
– Goke Adeleke
A Concerned Citizen.
