Benin, Edo – In what critics are calling a desperate PR stunt rather than a substantive security overhaul, Governor Monday Okpebholo handed over 10 patrol vehicles to security agencies in Edo Central Senatorial District on Saturday, amid a surge in kidnappings that has left residents terrorized and questioning the administration's priorities.

While the governor touts this as a "strategic" move to boost mobility and response times, experts and locals argue it's woefully inadequate, a drop in the ocean for a state grappling with entrenched criminality, where police patrols alone have proven futile without robust community backing.

The ceremony in Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area, saw Okpebholo reiterated his "zero-tolerance" for crime. Yet, this rhetoric rings hollow as Edo State continues to reel from brazen abductions.

Just hours after the event, reports emerged of residents in Imoga community scrambling to raise N40 million in ransom to save kidnap victims from execution, a stark reminder that fancy vehicles won't deter bandits without grassroots intelligence and support.

This incident follows a pattern: In Ekpoma, unrest linked to local criminals (not students, as the government claims) has exposed the limits of top-down policing, with investigations revealing many perpetrators are community insiders.

Okpebholo's administration has faced mounting backlash for prioritizing flashy hardware over empowering the real frontline defenders: community vigilantes.

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC), hunters, and anti-cultism units who received some of these vehicles are already stretched thin, dealing with logistics gaps, herdsmen clashes, and intelligence shortfalls.

While the governor directed local chairmen to submit names for payroll integration and mentioned training 2,500 personnel, this is criticized as bureaucratic lip service.

Salaries have been "approved," but delays and underfunding persist, leaving vigilantes under-equipped and demoralized.

Security analysts point out that police patrols, even with new Hilux trucks, achieve little in Nigeria's rural and forested terrains without community buy-in.

Studies on vigilante groups like the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and Edo's ESSVN show they excel in crime prevention, early warnings, and local dispute resolution where formal forces fall short reducing incidents by providing "eyes and ears" on the ground.

In Edo, vigilantes have historically thwarted kidnappings and herdsmen attacks, but their effectiveness wanes without state investment in training, arms recovery, and regulation to curb excesses like extra-judicial killings.

"Ten vehicles for an entire district plagued by kidnappers? It's insulting," said a Benin City-based security consultant, who spoke on anonymity.

Indeed, despite vows to "crush" criminals, Edo's 2026 budget allocations for security emphasize equipment over community-led initiatives, ignoring calls from figures like retired Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe for sustained funding and intelligence tools.

Traditional leaders, including the Onojie of Uromi, praised the move but floated an Esan Security Trust Fund, a community-driven idea that underscores the government's shortfall.

"Police can't be everywhere, but vigilantes know the bush paths and who the real threats are," said a farmer from Esan South East, where herdsmen incursions remain rampant.

With crime rates still high, the governor must triple vigilante funding, integrate them fully into payrolls without red tape, and foster true partnerships, as anything less is negligence, leaving Edo's people to fend for themselves.