*EDO CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS EDOCSO GENERAL ASSEMBLY*

All comrades and the general public are coordially invited to the monthly General Assembly (G.A) scheduled as follows:

DATE: Saturday 8th July 2023

TIME: 10am prompt

VENUE: MASSES HOUSE: Eagle Heights Events center, 6B, Obakhavbaye Street, Opposite Spirit & Life Bible Church,
off Oba Market Rd Benin City. Edo State

KNOW YOUR RIGHT
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT

Signed
Leftist Grace Destiny Okike.
Interim secretary
Edo civil Society Organisations
EDOCSO

admin

PROTEST DISCLAIMER:

The attention of the leadership and members of Edo Civil Society Organisations have been drawn to an online publication on proposed protests purportedly taking place in Igbinedion Teaching Hospital open space along Sapele road, opposite Market Square in Benin city and simultaneously at different locations in Benin City by unknown authors claiming the rigging of election results in favour of APC (Tinubu) as the basis for the protests.

We want it on record that, we have nothing whatsoever to do with the publication or the protest even though the authors used our name and identity to publish it. We hereby dissociate ourselves from the said protests taking place in those different locations in Benin City.

As a group, we are apolitical in disposition and will usually encourage any aggrieved party to seek redress through constitutional means instead of resorting to self help.

We have equally taken notes of the numerous irregularities that trailed the elections and would issue a statement soon on our findings and recommendations going forward.

Signed:

Leftist Aliyu Umweni

Interim Public Relations Officer

Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO)

MASSES HOUSE: 6B, Obakhavbaye Street Opposite Spirit And Life Bible Church Off Oba Market Road,

Benin City,

Edo State,

Nigeria.

PROTEST LOCATION DISCLAIMER:

The attention of the leadership and members of Edo Civil Society Organisations have been drawn to a publication on protests taking place in different locations in Benin City by unknown author.

We want it on record that, we dissociate ourselves from the said protests taking place in different locations in Benin City. We are not unmindful of the current volatile state of our nation and the use of discretion in venting displeasure without giving room for hoodlums to hijack a genuine process.

Our protest is restricted to the office of NUPRC which was formally DPR. The agency saddled with the responsibility of regulating activities of filling stations and related matters. The peaceful protest by the organised civil society ONLY is to express our displeasure over the indifferent attitude by the agency as Edo people are being extorted and exploited by filling station operators.

To this end, we hereby dissociate ourselves from any protest purportedly taking place in any other location(s).

Signed:

Leftist Aliyu Umweni
Interim Public Relations Officer
Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO)

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ogbadu Aliyu Philip and senior police officers of the command had met with the interim leadership of Edo Civil Society Organisations and other civil rights groups in the state earlier today in a bid to creating a platform for synergy between the command and the civil society community.

The Interim TEC Chairman of Edo Civil Society Organisations, Bishop Osadolor Ochei led other members of the group to meet with COMPOL in a stakeholders’ meeting wherein various issues that bother on reforming the police institution and the strengthening of police-citizen relationship was emphasized.

The COMPOL assured of regular meetings with the civil society community going forward in ensuring that the established synergy brings about the best of police operations as he also promised to ensure that any officer deviating from the standard policing rules will be handled in line with the extant laws.

Other civil society groups and individuals present raised various cases that were not handled satisfactorily by the police with the COMPOL even as security challenges facing the state were also deliberated on. The COMPOL directed all of such cases to be examined and assured that criminal elements in the state will have no hiding place.

Other members of EDOCSO present in the meeting were the Interim TEC Secretary, Comrade Keshi St Lawrence, Comrade Omoruyi Egharevba, Comrade Osazee Edigin, the immediate past Public Relations Officer and Comrade Patience Okafor.

Comrade Keshi St Lawrence

EDOCSO Interim Secretary

*HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS ESCAPE DEATH IN THE HAND OF IYOWA CDA CHAIRMAN, ETINOSA IGHODARO:* Read More

*POLICE INSPECTOR ARREST AND DETAINED RAPE VICTIM, TWO SUSPECTS AND COLLECTED ‘BAIL FEES’ BEFORE RELEASE:*

A police inspector and the Investigative Police Officer whose name was simply given as Ellis attached to a divisional police headquarters in Auchi of Edo state arrested and detained a rape victim that reported a case of rape to the station on 27th May, 2020.
The two suspects were also arrested and detained alongside the rape victim. The trio were forced to cough out ‘bail fees’ before they could secure their release from custody.

The rape victim paid the sum of N10, 000 to secure her release while the two suspected culprits paid the sum of N30, 000 each for their release.

It was reported that, one of the suspects had jumped bail as at this moment while the IPO had been requested to refund the money collected as ‘bail fee’ and also face disciplinary procedures in line with the Police Act and Regulations. When confronted with the reason the victim was detained, he was dumbfounded. It was reported that, the Divisional Police Officer was on official duty as at the time the IPO performed the unprofessional conduct.

Members of Edo Civil Society Organisations, Auchi Study Centre have been on top of the matter in ensuring that justice is given to the rape victim whose economic disposition is pitiable.

Leftist Osazee Edigin
Public Relations Officer
Edo Civil Society Organisations
No. 1, Sokponba Road, (ACB Building)
Benin City,
Edo State,
Nigeria.
Twitter: @alutaedocso
www.edocso.org
info@edocso.org, osazedigin@edocso.org

*EDOCSO MEMBERS IMMUNITY AGAINST ‘IGHO’SEKA’*

Edo Civil Society Organisations is a coalition of civil rights groups in Edo state with numerous grassroots cluster arrangements in different communities across the state.

Aside standing for good governance, social justice and human rights as a whole, the area it dissipates its energy excessively in, is building the knowledge base of its members and those that care to learn on a whole lot of societal issues bordering on oppression, intimidation or extortion by individuals or institutions.

Back to the heading of the post, ‘igho’seka’ is a Benin word which literally mean coercively paying money that was never planned for or in another rough translation, it means paying somewhat debt you never owed. I tried to see if there is an English word equivalent to it, I couldn’t find any. This type of payment comes with coercion which is against your will.

In Edo state for instance, a lot of our people are faced with the challenge of being forcefully made to pay money never planned for, mostly when in a dire situation. The reason they find themselves in such circumstances is not far fetched. It’s simply because they lack BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR RIGHTS.

You get pained when you see how citizens are being extorted and exploited by agents of government and powerful individuals in Edo state. Such agencies like the police, market unions, electricity company (BEDC), state and local government law enforcers and individuals given certain powers. In all of these, members of EDOCSO cannot and will never pay any money not officially approved. Even some that seems officially approved that fails morality test are ignored as well.

When others are being forced to pay unofficial fees to access public service, any identified member of EDOCSO is exempted. At times it becomes practically impossible for us to make a conviction that bail is free to some category of persons whose minds are already fixed. In some instances that we have facilitated a suspect’s bail, he will go behind us to offer money to the police as cost of freedom which is already constitutionally free. We can only liberate the prisoner to the extent he wants to be liberated.

Just a mere case of two persons involved in a fight, bail fee in Edo state costs between N50, 000 and N100, 000 with much pleading with the IPO. An amount that can buy you a 100ft by 100ft in some rural communities.

AS FOR ME AND MY FELLOW COMRADES, WE HAVE IMMUNITY AGAINST ‘IGHO’SEKA’.

WE DON’T PARTAKE IN THE PAYMENT OF ‘IGHO’SEKA’.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Leftist Osazee Edigin
Public Relations Officer
Edo Civil Society Organisations