Fight Against Cultism Is Not New, I Began Casting Out Demons at 17 – Gov. Okpebholo Says
For years, cult-related violence has remained one of the security concerns confronting Edo State, with Benin City repeatedly recording deadly clashes and other criminal activities.
And now, Governor Monday Okpebholo has made a personal revelation about his teenage years while speaking about the fight against insecurity and cultism.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters and reported on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the Edo governor said his experience with confronting what he described as spiritual and security-related challenges dates back to when he was still a teenager.
Okpebholo said that when he sees young people gathered in the presence of God, it reminds him of what he was doing at around 17 or 18 years old.
He said he had already begun casting out demons at that age, before adding that confronting insecurity, particularly cultism, was therefore not something unfamiliar to him.
The governor did not give further details in the portion of the video reviewed by SaharaReporters about what exactly he meant by the statement or the circumstances surrounding those activities when he was a teenager.
But his comments come at a time when cult-related violence remains part of a much wider security problem in Edo State.
According to a January 2026 security assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum, ACLED recorded 237 security incidents in Edo between January 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025.
Those incidents were linked to 212 fatalities.
The incidents were spread across all 18 local government areas of the state, with Oredo Local Government Area recording the highest number at 71 incidents.
The security picture in Edo is not limited to cult clashes.
The EUAA assessment identified cult violence, criminal activities, communal violence and attacks by different armed groups among the security concerns recorded in the state.
Cult-related confrontations have, however, remained particularly visible in Benin City.
Reports cited in the EUAA assessment documented clashes involving groups including Black Axe, Eiye, Vikings and Maphite.
One particularly deadly period occurred in 2025, when rival cult groups were reported to have been involved in a violent supremacy battle in Benin City.
The Nigerian Tribune reported that at least 15 people were killed over several days during the renewed violence involving Black Axe and Maphite.
That violence put renewed pressure on the state government to demonstrate how it intended to deal with cult-related killings.
In January 2025, Okpebholo’s administration introduced a tougher legal framework against secret cult activities.
The Edo State Government announced that the previous 2018 law had been repealed and replaced by the Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) Law, 2025.
Under the new law, financial and material sponsors of secret cults can face 21 years in prison.
People who knowingly harbour cult members or allow their properties to be used for cult activities can face 10 years imprisonment, with provisions for confiscation and demolition of affected properties.
The law also provides for 21 years imprisonment for cult-related assaults, injuries, maiming or destruction of property, while cases involving fatalities can attract the death penalty upon conviction.
But legislation alone has not ended the problem.
In April 2025, renewed violence between rival groups in Benin City was reported to have left no fewer than 15 people dead, according to reports cited by the EUAA and Nigerian Tribune.
The state government subsequently announced further efforts to confront cult activity.
Then, in May 2026, another incident near the University of Benin brought the issue back into the spotlight.
A young man was killed near the university gate on May 10.
Following the incident, Edo’s Special Security Squad launched coordinated raids in several parts of Benin City under an operation known as “Operation Flush Out Cultists and Kidnappers.”
The operation covered areas including Ekosodin, Isihor, Old Road off S&T Barracks, Airport Road, 19th Street in Ugbowo, Ogba-Evbuodia and Evbuomore Quarters.
Security operatives announced the arrest of 12 suspected cultists and the sealing of two apartments reportedly used for cult initiation.
There is an important detail in that operation.
The security squad’s spokesman, Noah Idemudia, said the 12 suspects arrested during the raids were not linked to the killing near the UNIBEN gate, according to the Guardian’s report.
Rather, the suspects were identified as members of various cult groups after authorities said they found cult-related symbols, signs and other incriminating materials.
The governor’s administration has also repeatedly presented the fight against cultism as part of a broader security campaign involving the police, military, Department of State Services and the state’s own security structures.
Following the UNIBEN killing, Okpebholo again said his administration would intensify efforts against cultism and described the killing as unacceptable.
The wider security situation remains significant.
PIND also recorded conflict incidents and fatalities in Edo during 2025, with criminal activities and cult-related gang clashes among the drivers it identified.
So when Okpebholo now says that confronting insecurity and cultism is not new to him, he is making the statement against the backdrop of a security problem that has persisted through different periods and taken different forms.
His reference to his teenage years, however, remains limited to the comments contained in the video.
He did not, in the portion made public, explain what he meant by “casting out demons,” how often he engaged in it, or how those experiences were connected to his present approach to security.
What is clear is that the governor is presenting his current campaign against cultism as something he regards as familiar territory.
And with cult-related killings, arrests and security operations continuing to feature in Edo’s recent history, the claim comes at a time when his administration remains under pressure to demonstrate that its efforts can translate into sustained security across the state.
(Source: SaharaReporters)
