By Paul Omo Okojie

The Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo’s warning that there will be no mercy for cult members who refuse to renounce their membership and continue to engage in criminal activities has renewed attention on the persistent challenge of cultism and political violence in Edo State.

The governor issued the warning during a mass voluntary renunciation and denunciation of cultism, themed “Restitution, Rehabilitation and Safer Edo State,” held at the Sir Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub on Airport Road, Benin City, on Monday, October 12, 2026.

While the administration’s commitment to tackling cult-related killings, kidnapping and other violent crimes deserves attention, the deeper security challenge facing Edo State requires a broader conversation about the relationship between cultism, political competition, youth mobilisation and attacks on opposition parties.

The central question is whether the state can achieve lasting peace by dismantling criminal networks while also addressing allegations that violent groups are recruited, encouraged or exploited by political actors to intimidate opponents and disrupt democratic participation.

Beyond renunciation, the government must confront the roots of cult violence which is unemployment, social injustice, loss of confidence in the criminal justice system and hopelessness for the common man.

At the event, Okpebholo commended young people who publicly renounced membership of various cult groups, describing their decision as an opportunity to save their lives and spare their families further suffering.

He also said his administration had created opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration, stressing that those willing to abandon criminal activities should be given a chance to rebuild their lives.

According to the governor, Edo recorded more than 300 cult-related killings annually when his administration assumed office, but he claimed that the figure had since fallen to almost zero through stronger laws, improved intelligence, security operations and tougher enforcement.

That assertion, if supported by independently verifiable records, would represent a significant development in the state’s security efforts. However, the scale of the reported reduction should be substantiated with comparative police statistics, homicide records and other reliable data covering the period before and after the administration assumed office.

Public confidence in security interventions depends not only on official assurances but also on transparent evidence of their impact.

More importantly, the success of a renunciation programme should be measured by whether former cult members remain disengaged from criminal networks, whether violent incidents decline over time, and whether communities become safer for residents regardless of their political affiliations.

However, one major reason for Political violence in Edo State is the weaponising different cult groups, which is used as tools of intimidation and suppression of opposition candidates and the Government must show zero tolerance for such acts.

Across Nigeria, political violence has frequently been associated with intimidation, the disruption of political activities, attacks on opponents and the mobilisation of vulnerable young people for unlawful purposes. Edo State must not be allowed to become a place where political rivalry provides cover for criminal violence.

Reports and allegations of attacks on opposition parties and their members therefore demand serious attention from the police, electoral authorities and other relevant institutions. Each incident should be investigated on its merits, with the perpetrators and sponsors identified through credible evidence rather than political accusations.

Where cult members are allegedly recruited to intimidate opposition figures, attack party offices, disrupt meetings or threaten political supporters, the law must apply without discrimination. Equally, allegations against ruling-party members, opposition politicians or their associates must be investigated fairly, with due process observed.

The danger is that when violent groups are perceived to enjoy political protection, the boundary between criminality and political mobilisation becomes blurred. Young people may come to believe that their loyalty to powerful individuals or political organisations offers protection from prosecution.

Such a perception, whether justified in a particular case or not, can undermine public trust in law enforcement and embolden criminal networks.

No political party should be permitted to convert Edo’s streets into battlegrounds, while no politician should be allowed to treat young people as expendable instruments for settling political scores.

Opposition rights are part of the security equation every citizen constitutionally should be protected.

Those in opposition parties is not merely a political courtesy. It is a constitutional and democratic obligation.

A functioning democracy requires citizens to organise, campaign, hold meetings, criticise government policies and seek political power without fear of physical assault or intimidation.

Where opposition members are attacked or threatened, the consequences extend beyond the immediate victims. Such incidents can discourage participation, weaken political competition and create an atmosphere in which citizens become reluctant to express dissenting opinions.

As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, Edo’s political leadership must recognise that peace cannot be defined solely by the absence of reported cult killings. It must also include the freedom of political parties and citizens to operate without intimidation.

The state government should therefore make it clear that its security policy protects all residents and political organisations equally. The police should investigate reported attacks irrespective of the identities, influence or political affiliations of those suspected of involvement.

The objective must be to prevent violence, not merely to respond after lives have been lost or property destroyed.

Operation Flush Out must target criminality without political bias and should not be used as justification for violence on people who do not disagree with the government.

The coordinator of the Edo State Special Security Squad, Operation Flush Out Kidnapping and Cultists, Noah Idemudia, commended the governor for establishing the squad and supporting its collaboration with security agencies.

The Commissioner of Police, Patrick Daaor, also praised the administration’s efforts, describing the renunciation programme as an opportunity to save young lives and redirect former cult members towards productive activities.

These interventions will be more effective if accompanied by transparent operational standards, credible intelligence, proper documentation of arrests and prosecutions, and safeguards against politically motivated enforcement.

Security operations must target conduct supported by evidence, not political identity or personal association. Alleged offenders should be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law, while innocent individuals must be protected from arbitrary punishment.

Okpebholo’s warning that houses used for cult-related activities could be demolished also requires strict adherence to applicable laws and due process. Any demolition or forfeiture measure must have a lawful basis and follow the procedures prescribed by law.

The government’s responsibility is to dismantle criminal infrastructure without creating new grievances or weakening confidence in the justice system.

Rehabilitation must go hand in hand with accountability

The renunciation exercise also highlights the need to address the social and economic conditions that make young people vulnerable to cult recruitment.

Unemployment, drug abuse, peer pressure, the search for protection and the desire for social recognition can make criminal groups attractive to vulnerable youths. These factors do not excuse violence, but understanding them is essential to preventing its recurrence.

The Commissioner for Public Safety and Security, Festus Ebea, described the exercise as part of the security component of the governor’s SHINE Agenda, while the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Roland Otaru, highlighted the role of the Special Criminal Court in strengthening the criminal justice system.

These measures should be complemented by sustained rehabilitation, vocational training, educational opportunities, counselling and employment pathways for eligible participants.

At the same time, renunciation must not become a blanket exemption from accountability for serious offences. Individuals suspected of murder, kidnapping, armed robbery or other grave crimes must face investigation and prosecution where evidence supports the allegations.

A credible programme must combine rehabilitation for those genuinely abandoning criminality with lawful accountability for those responsible for serious violence.

The government should also publish clear information about the number of participants, the support available to them, the monitoring arrangements and the programme’s long-term outcomes.

Drug abuse and political patronage require closer scrutiny

Political figure Francis Inegbeneki, who commended the governor’s anti-cultism campaign, urged the administration to extend similar determination to tackling drug abuse, which he described as closely connected to cultism.

The concern deserves attention. Drug abuse can aggravate social instability and expose vulnerable youths to exploitation, although the relationship between drug use and violent crime should not be assumed in every individual case.

A comprehensive response requires prevention, treatment, enforcement against drug trafficking and coordinated action by relevant agencies.

Beyond this, the government and political parties must confront the question of patronage. Where credible evidence establishes that individuals are funding, protecting or mobilising violent groups for political purposes, investigations must follow the evidence to the organisers and financiers rather than stopping with street-level perpetrators.

Without addressing those who allegedly recruit, finance or protect criminal actors, anti-cultism operations risk treating the symptoms while leaving the structures that sustain violence intact.

A test of political leadership ahead of 2027

Okpebholo has declared that no one will be shielded from the law because of family or personal connections, adding that even members of his family would not be exempt from accountability.

That commitment should become a clear standard for all political actors in Edo State.

The test of the administration’s resolve will not be the severity of its rhetoric alone, but whether the law is enforced consistently against suspected criminals and their alleged sponsors, irrespective of political affiliation.

Opposition parties, for their part, must also reject violence, discourage the recruitment of cult members and report threats through lawful channels. Political competition must be based on ideas, public service, credible programmes and the confidence of voters, not intimidation.

The police, electoral authorities, civil society organisations, traditional institutions and religious leaders all have a role to play in preventing political disputes from escalating into bloodshed.

Edo State needs a security framework that protects communities, safeguards democratic participation and restores public confidence in the impartiality of law enforcement.

Finally, there should be no selective justice, no political violence.

The governor’s warning against cultism is an opportunity to move beyond public declarations towards a sustained campaign against all forms of organised violence.

But the promise of a safer Edo will remain incomplete if cultism is treated exclusively as a criminal problem while credible allegations of political intimidation and attacks on opposition parties are ignored.

Every killing must be investigated. Every credible report of an attack must receive a lawful response. Every individual implicated in a crime must be treated according to the evidence, and every political organisation must understand that violence is not an acceptable instrument of power.

As Edo moves towards another consequential electoral cycle, the responsibility rests on the government, opposition parties and security agencies to demonstrate that political differences can be resolved peacefully.

The ultimate measure of success will be an Edo State in which young people no longer see cult membership as a route to influence, political actors no longer have reason to rely on violent networks, and citizens can participate in public life without fear.

There must be no mercy for criminal violence, but there must also be no selective justice, political impunity or tolerance for the use of cult groups to undermine democracy.