It was just after sunrise, and Benin City seemed quiet — at least on the surface. But beneath that calm, something was stirring: walls shaking, gates being pulled down, plaster & brick turning to rubble. Bulldozers had arrived, backed by law and anger — Governor Monday Okpebholo’s orders to dismantle buildings allegedly used for cult initiation, kidnapping, internet fraud, and ritualistic crimes.
Neighbors peered from behind curtains. Children stopped their morning walks for a moment, eyes wide at the sight. Those homes had stories — dark ones whispered in alleys, half-heard cries, shrines hidden out of sight. To many, they were symbols of fear. To some, they were homes. And now, they were gone.
This act was more than demolition. It was message-making. It told cultists: “Edo no longer shelters evil.” But it also raised urgent questions: what constitutes “evidence” in a society where justice is often slow? What happens to families who say they weren’t involved? Where is the line between crime fighting, collective punishment, and fear politics?
Okpebholo’s brand of enforcement is bold — law-driven, but tinged with undertones of power. As debris falls, something fragile also trembles: the rule of law, property rights, due process. And for residents, the question isn’t only “who built the hideout,” but “who built the broken trust”?
The Story So Far
Edo State has enacted new laws: the Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) Law of 2025 and an updated Kidnapping Prohibition Law, both of which allow for demolition of buildings used for cultism, kidnapping, and ritual practices.
Governor Okpebholo, personally supervising, has demolished several buildings in Egbaen (Egor LGA), Ogheghe (Benin City), Amagba GRA, among other locations. These buildings were allegedly operational bases for cult groups, ritual shrines, gathering/meeting halls for illegal activities.
Items reportedly recovered from some buildings include fetish objects, shrines, industrial overhead tanks, even moats used for initiation rituals. Some buildings also held victims against their will, according to state statements.
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Okpebholo has also warned landlords: any property used in criminal activity or cultism will be demolished. The sites of such demolitions are being repurposed for public use.
Order vs. Justice, Which Comes First?
Governor Okpebholo’s demolitions hit with shock value — it is bold governance, direct confrontation with criminality. Many support it: neighbors who walked in fear, families who lost children, citizens tired of ritual killings. But democracies are built not on fear but on legitimacy. How power is used reveals who has it and who pays.
When the dust settles, people won’t only ask: how many buildings were pulled down? They’ll ask: how many lives were saved fairly? Was justice delivered, or vengeance performed? Because in the end, a wall is rebuilt, but trust once torn is hard to restore.
