From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has warned landlords that his administration will demolish buildings linked to criminal activities, including kidnapping, cultism, and rituals, to ensure a crime-free state.
Speaking during the demolition of a building in Benin City’s Ogheghe area, used for internet fraud and kidnapping, Okpebholo expressed dismay, stating, “I am saddened by what is happening here. Children were kidnapped and kept here for years. You can see the shrines in this apartment. This is wickedness in its highest form. This kind of evil is unacceptable in Edo State.”
Reaffirming his commitment to security, he vowed, “We will continue to fight crime and criminality. Wherever they hide, we will fish them out and demolish their hideouts. There will be no sanctuary for criminals in Edo State. We are serious and resolute. Edo must be safe.”
He announced plans to repurpose demolished sites for public use, saying, “We are going to build a police station here. Any land where such buildings are taken down will be used to serve the community.”
The state also demolished a cult group’s operational base at Arena Street, Amagba GRA, implicated in recent Benin City killings. The facility, featuring a hall, rooms with mattresses, office spaces, and a moat for initiation rituals, included an “Industrial Overhead Stand and Tanks donated by its Asia Region 2016–2021.”
This follows the enforcement of the Secret Cult and Similar Activities Prohibition Law 2025, signed by Okpebholo, which authorises property demolitions linked to cultism.
Additionally, the government sealed Eterno Hotel in Benin’s GRA, allegedly a hub for another cult group behind recent violence. Okpebholo reiterated, “No stone will be left unturned, and no individual, regardless of their status, will be spared under the provisions of the Cultism-Related Offenses Law. We are determined to restore peace and order in Edo State.”