Desolate Bendel Brewery
The Edo State Task Force for the Protection of Government Property says it has arrested a suspect caught vandalising the moribund state-owned Bendel Brewery located at No. 96-98, Benin-Agbor Road in Benin City, the state capital.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the chief press secretary to the governor, Fred Itua, who said the suspect was apprehended by the Task Force during a routine surveillance operation carried out at the premises as part of its statutory mandate to monitor, secure, and protect assets belonging to the state government.
According to Itua, the suspect was caught removing iron materials from the premises of the brewery and was immediately handed over to law enforcement authorities at the Area Command, Oregbeni Division of the Nigerian Police, where he is currently in custody and undergoing preliminary investigation.
The Bendel Brewery Limited was one of the legacies of late Dr. Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia, and was once the pride of the state, creating employment and businesses for hundred of citizens before it fell into bad times.
After years of epileptic operations, the company finally shut down operations in July 2014 during the administration of Governor Adams Oshiomhole because of accumulated debt leaving the workers in a state of uncertainty and the premises desolate and at the mercy of vandals.
Newsmata.com.ng recalls that during his campaign at Ikpoba Okha local government area August last year ahead of the September 21, 2024, governorship election, Governor Monday Okpebholo, as candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, promised to revive the moribund Bendel Brewery to ensure the youths in the area were fully employed.
It can also be recalled that on February 6, 2019, some angry staff of the brewery had staged a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the then Governor Godwin Obaseki administration to the alleged unbridled vandalism of assets of the company, using the opportunity to also demand for the payment of their terminal benefits.
They claimed the premises had become home to vandals and thieves since it went out of production in 2014, adding that security at the company had been rendered helpless because of incessant attacks on the guards deployed there.
They listed some of the assets stolen to include transformers, air-conditioners, machinery amongst others, as well as cables of vandalised machines.
Itua said the arrest of the suspect by the task force underscored the state government’s unwavering commitment to deterring acts of vandalism, theft, and encroachment on public infrastructure.
He said in line with its policy of openness and transparency, the Task Force has submitted a formal report of the incident to the relevant office for documentation and possible media engagement.
Meanwhile, the state government has solicited continued support of the public in its efforts to safeguard public investments by reporting suspicious activities and remaining vigilant at all times as part of their broader civic responsibility.