Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State on Wednesday said criminals operating in the state are being reinforced with recruits from other parts of the country.

He added that the criminal activities are being carried out with local collaborators arranging kidnap-for-ransom operations and handing over victims to hired gangs in the bush.

Okpebholo, spoke while addressing participants at the 2026 Ministers’ Conference organised by the Edo State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benin City.

According to the governor, while insecurity remained a genuine concern, much of what was being circulated on social media about the situation in Edo was false and orchestrated to discredit his administration.

He cited a recent example in which he received a report of an incident along the Sapele Road and immediately deployed security operatives to the area, only to discover that nothing had happened.

“Do you know one funny thing — our people are now going outside Edo to recruit criminals to help them do the job. They will kidnap somebody and hand the victim over to them in the bush,” the governor said.

“Tomorrow you will see them driving expensive cars and building houses. How are they getting these things? They will tell you they are Yahoo Boys.”

The governor urged religious leaders not to intercede on behalf of anyone arrested in connection with criminal activity, saying such interventions would not be entertained.

“Pastors, if you hear that I have arrested somebody, don’t come to beg me,” he said.

The governor, who acknowledged that the state was not entirely free of security challenges, however insisted that the situation was being exaggerated by those with political motives.

“All of this is just to bring this government down, to give it a bad name. It is not that we are free, but not in the way they are hyping it,” he said.

He assured residents that security operatives were working round the clock to prevent criminals from establishing a foothold in the state.

In her remarks, Pastor Margaret Agbonifo commended the governor for his commitment to faith and public service, and prayed that he would complete his tenure strong and leave Edo better than he met it.

Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of CAN in Edo, Rev. Alfred Agbonlahor, praised the governor for the ongoing rehabilitation of the Benin-Sapele Road.