The Edo State Government has denied claims made by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that Governor Monday Okpebholo approved a N6bn compensation package to alleged “Fulani terrorists” following the Uromi killings.
In a statement issued by Fred Itua, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, the government condemned the publication as a calculated attempt by IPOB to incite ethnic tensions and destabilize the state through misinformation and dangerous propaganda.
“This is a familiar playbook of IPOB—deploying lies to spark division and violence,” the statement read. “Their desperate effort to drag Governor Okpebholo into their terror-driven narrative is baseless and doomed to fail.”
Refuting the allegations, the government stressed, “No such compensation was approved or paid. The claim is entirely fictitious, malicious, and designed to mislead the public. Edo State has never and will never reward criminality or terrorism in any form.”
The statement reiterated Governor Okpebholo’s commitment to justice, peace, and the safety of all Edo residents, regardless of ethnicity or religion. It also dismissed IPOB’s accusation that the Governor had “handed over vigilantes to Fulani authorities” as an outright lie and an insult to the security agencies serving the state.
“IPOB’s blood-soaked rhetoric is not welcome in Edo,” the statement emphasized. “Their campaign of terror has caused the deaths of thousands, including their own kin in the South-East, and their attempt to impose that chaos on our peace-loving state will not succeed.”
The government called on security agencies to investigate and prosecute those behind the inciting publication, reaffirming that no group should be allowed to jeopardize the state’s harmony and progress.
“We will not be distracted by criminals masquerading as freedom fighters,” the statement concluded. “We stand with the people, we stand for the truth, and we reject terrorism in all its forms.”
