By TheWatch.NG – April 22, 2025
Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, has suspended the traditional ruler of Uwano Kingdom, Dr. George Oshiapi Egabor, with immediate effect and indefinitely. The suspension comes in the wake of escalating insecurity in the region, including rampant kidnappings and killings.
The announcement was made public via a statement released on Monday, April 21, 2025, by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua. According to the statement, the traditional ruler is being held accountable for the deteriorating security situation in his domain in Agenebode, Etsako East Local Government Area of the state.
The crisis took a more alarming turn with the arrest of the monarch’s secretary, Chief Peter Omiogbemhi, following a violent incident that resulted in the death of a palace chief, the late John Ikhamate.
This follows a tragic kidnapping incident on March 3, 2025, where a Catholic priest, Rev. Father Philip Ekeli, and a seminarian, Peter Andrew, were abducted from St. Peter Catholic Church in Iviukwa, near Agenebode. While Father Ekeli was eventually released, the seminarian was killed by the abductors.
Reacting to the growing unrest, Governor Okpebholo reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity across the state. He vowed that anyone found complicit in enabling criminal activities would face the full wrath of the law, including the demolition of properties linked to kidnappers and a potential death penalty for convicted offenders.
