The Edo State Government is working with security agencies to commence a massive raid across the 18 local government areas of the state to disarm persons bearing unlicenced arms and ammunition.
The State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, disclosed this after a closed-door Security Council Meeting, held at the Exco Chamber, Government House, in Benin City.
The governor, who acknowledged the progress recorded so far by the special team set up by the government to review and curb the incidence of cultism in the State, said the State will intensify efforts to totally wipe out all criminal gangs and ensure the safety and security of the people
“We just concluded our security council meeting where we reviewed the security situation in Edo State, looking specifically at incidents relating to security over the last one month. We also reviewed incidents in the first six months in 2024.
“In the last one month, we have seen a decline in insecurity incidents such as cultism, homicide, and kidnapping which are the top three crimes in the State that we have been tracking,” he said
Noting the gains recorded by the special team, the governor said that after the last security council meeting, the state set up a special team to look into the issues of crime and crime-rated activities, headed by the Director of the Department of State Service (DSS).
“The team swung into action and from the report we have got so far, we have seen a decrease in cultism and homicide related to cultism as was the case for the first five months of this year.
“The council decided that we are not relenting and that we are going to increase the tempo of activities. We have given the team the list of all reports we have received till date on the activities of Okaigheles in all the different communities.”
“Part of the strategy is that raids will be carried out and the homes of identified members of those gangs will be raided. We would intensify most of our activities to locate people who are keeping arms in the communities and their homes, with a view to disarming those who have no authority to keep arms.
‘Council analysed in-depth, the security report presented. It revealed that there are about five local governments that we need to focus on specifically since these local governments account for over 50 per cent of incidents in the state.
“We are going to be having meetings weekly over the next four or five weeks with members of the security council of these local governments with a view to understanding in greater detail what is going on there and narrowing our investigations to communities where these incidents occur very frequently,” the governor said.
On his part, the Edo State Police Commissioner, Funsho Adegboye said the new anti-cultism law was effective and commendable as the State Police Command recorded zero incidents in the Spstate within the period under review, especially during the popular 7/7 day, where cultists used to have a field day to celebrate their activities.
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