Benin City Clean-Up: Edo Govt Begins Mass Evacuation Of Mentally Unstable Persons From Streets – Mixed Reactions Trail Operation

Akahi News learnt that the Edo State Government has commenced the evacuation of mentally unstable persons from major streets and public areas across Benin City, a move officials say is designed to improve public safety and address long-neglected welfare concerns.

The operation, which has already become the talk of the ancient city, saw government personnel moving through busy corridors and quiet corners alike, removing vulnerable individuals who had made the streets their homes. Akahi News gathered that authorities insist the exercise is not about hiding the poor or the sick from public view — but about ensuring they receive proper care, rehabilitation, and a chance at dignity.

It was alleged that the evacuation had been planned for weeks, though no official timeline was released before the first vans appeared. Now that they have, the city is divided. Some residents are cheering. Others are holding their breath. And the mentally unstable persons themselves? They cannot speak for themselves. That is the tragedy.

Why Now? Officials Speak On Public Safety And Compassion

Government sources told Akahi News that the decision was triggered by growing complaints from residents, business owners, and commuters who have long voiced concerns about the increasing number of mentally unstable individuals roaming the city. Some have been sighted on major roads like Mission Road, Sapele Road, and Uselu-Lagos Bypass — wandering into traffic, screaming at unseen enemies, or simply lying motionless under the afternoon sun.

“It is not just about the eyesore,” a senior official said. “It is about their safety and the safety of others. A person in that condition cannot protect himself from rain, from hunger, from those who would harm him. The government cannot continue to look away.”

Akahi News had earlier reported similar exercises in other states, many of which ended with mentally unstable persons simply being dumped in remote locations or abandoned at poorly funded facilities. Will Edo be different? That is the question hanging over the operation like a thick harmattan haze.

Mixed Reactions: “Thank God” Versus “Where Are They Taking Them?”

On the streets of Benin City on Wednesday, Akahi News encountered two unmistakable camps. The first camp — mostly traders, commuters, and residents of busy junctions — welcomed the evacuation with open arms. “Thank God,” said a female food vendor around Oba Market. “These people have been chasing my customers away. One of them even threw a stone at a pregnant woman last week. Enough is enough.”

Another man, a commercial bus driver plying the Ring Road route, said he had lost count of how many near-accidents he had witnessed because a mentally unstable person suddenly jumped into the road. “The government should have done this long ago,” he said, shaking his head.

But the second camp — social commentators, human rights advocates, and ordinary citizens who have seen these evacuations fail before — expressed deep concerns. “Where are they taking them?” asked one youth corps member serving in the city. “What happens after the cameras leave? Do these people have beds? Do they have doctors? Or will they be released next week to roam again?”

It is a fair question. Nigeria’s mental health infrastructure is, by any honest measure, a disaster. The few psychiatric hospitals in the country are underfunded and overcrowded. Trained mental health professionals are scarce. And the stigma associated with mental illness means families often abandon their own relatives rather than seek help.

So when the Edo State Government says these individuals will receive “proper care and rehabilitation,” what exactly does that mean? Will there be follow-up? Will there be transparency? Or will this become another headline-grabbing exercise that fades into silence the moment the vans return to the depot?

The Bigger Conversation: Mental Health Is Not A Nuisance Law

The evacuation in Benin City has reignited a national conversation that Nigeria has avoided for too long. Mental illness is not a crime. A person experiencing psychosis is not a criminal. And yet, for decades, the default response of governments across the country has been to treat mentally unstable persons as public nuisances to be swept away rather than patients to be healed.

Akahi News recalls that the National Mental Health Act was passed in 2021, replacing the archaic Lunacy Act of 1958. That new law promised a rights-based approach to mental health care. It promised community-based services. It promised an end to chains and cages. But four years later, how many states have fully implemented it? How many have budgeted for mental health?

Edo State now has an opportunity to lead. If the evacuation is accompanied by transparent admission into functioning psychiatric facilities, if families are traced and reintegration attempted, if long-term aftercare is provided — then this could become a model for other states. But if it is merely a cosmetic clean-up ahead of political events, then it will be nothing more than an expensive act of displacement.

It is not a child’s play, this business of mental health. A nation that abandons its most vulnerable citizens is a nation that has forgotten the meaning of humanity. And the question every Edo resident must ask is simple: after the vans leave, will those faces ever be seen again — in a hospital bed, or on the streets once more?

The answer will determine whether this story ends with applause or with tears.

📌 Fact Summary Box

Action: Edo State Government evacuates mentally unstable persons from streets of Benin City.

Official reason: Improve public safety and provide care/rehabilitation.

Public reaction: Mixed — some welcome removal of “nuisance,” others fear lack of long-term support.

Key concern: Adequacy of mental health facilities and follow-up care in Edo State.

Legal backdrop: National Mental Health Act 2021 (replaces Lunacy Act 1958) — rights-based approach required.

Bigger question: Is this a genuine welfare operation or a cosmetic clean-up?

What is at stake: Lives of Nigeria’s most vulnerable citizens — and the conscience of the state.

Before You Go: Build Minds That Will Never Be Left Behind — Akahi Tutors, Ile-Ife

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Akahi News will continue monitoring this operation and the state of mental health care across Nigeria. Stay with us. Stay compassionate. And remember: there but for the grace of a functioning mind, go any of us.