The immediate past Commissioner of Police in Edo, Retired CP Phillip Ogbadu, has advised youths in Edo to take up agriculture and shun social vices including fraud.

Mr Ogbadu gave the advice at a reception in his honour organised by the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Gabriel Igbinedion, to mark his disengagement from the Nigerian Police Force.

The retired police chief said that Edo was a state blessed with so much wealth in terms of natural resources and arable land.

He urged youths in the state to begin to explore the abundant natural resources and utilise the vast arable land,

“Edo is one of the best and blessed states in this country.

And this is because there is so much wealth in the state in terms of natural resources and availability of arable lands.

“There is a need for us to start talking to our young men to start tilling the land.

“Let’s explore the wealth of the land to make the state better, and desist from fraud and every fraudulent practices and activities,” he said.

Giving account of his stewardship in the state, Mr Ogbadu, who retired on March 7, said that when he assumed duty in January 2021, shortly after the #EndSARS protests, insecurity in the state was at its highest peak.

He added that even the morale of officers was low, and many of them were afraid to wear their uniforms for fear of public attack.

“So we needed to tackle the situation, and in doing this I had to lead from the front.

“I put up a patrol and I was not only part of the patrol, I was leading the patrol to boost the morale of officers.

“You know sometimes, you use abnormal ways to solve abnormal problems. In the long run we overcame the challenges of insecurity, and bubbling life returned to the state”.

MrOgbadu further said that it was a rare privilege for him to serve as CP in the state and also have unfettered access to the Esama.

According to him, before coming to Edo, he only knew Esama by name, and from his pictures on the television and newspaper.

“But as a police officer, to be successful, you need to know the owners of the land and those who make things happen anywhere you are posted to.

“And so when I got to Benin, l met with Esama and several others in this category.

“However since after our meeting, the Esama has not relented in contributing and assisting the police command whenever the need arose”, he said.

Mr Ogbadu therefore used the opportunity to appreciate Mr Igbinedion for his assistance and contributions to the success story of the command, during his tenure as the CP.

Earlier, Mr Igbinedion said that the reception was to give honour to whom it was due.

He described the retired CP as an officer who “came, saw and conquered” having been posted to the state when security challenges in the state were high, and was able to restore security.