For years, kidnapping, cult clashes and organised crime posed serious security challenges in Edo State, disrupting communities, threatening lives and undermining economic activities and investment.
The administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo is seeking to reverse the trend through a combination of sustained security operations, intelligence gathering and speedy prosecution of suspects.
A major component of the strategy is the Edo State Special Criminal Court, established to accelerate the trial of cases involving kidnapping, cultism and other serious crimes that previously took years to conclude.
The effectiveness of the approach was demonstrated on Tuesday, September 29, when Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu sentenced four men to death for kidnapping a woman at a vegetable market along Airport Road, Benin City, on June 14.
Those convicted were Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael. They were found guilty of offences including kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms.
The prosecution called seven witnesses and tendered documentary evidence before the court, securing the convictions and underscoring the administration’s emphasis on taking criminal cases beyond arrests to successful prosecution.
The strategy is built around reducing the gap between the arrest of criminal suspects and the conclusion of their trials, with the aim of making swift justice a deterrent to organised crime.
The special court is being complemented by regular security operations, including weekly bush-combing exercises by the police, other security agencies and community-based security structures aimed at denying kidnappers and other criminals safe havens.
The operations have also yielded results.
In August, the Edo State Police Command arrested 13 suspected kidnappers, rescued nine victims and made several other arrests linked to cultism and violent crimes.
Similarly, in September, a distress call prompted a coordinated security operation in the Illeh Forest in Esan West Local Government Area, resulting in the rescue of three victims and the arrest of three suspects.
For the Okpebholo administration, security is being treated as a prerequisite for economic development, with the government linking improved safety to agriculture, infrastructure, power generation, employment and investment.
The security drive is coming against the backdrop of fresh investment interests in the state. Skyewise Group has announced a N9 billion investment in Benin City, while a 100-megawatt power project has been proposed in Ologbo. Presco is also expanding its operations with a reported $100 million investment.
Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa has attributed the growing confidence among investors to the administration’s security measures and laws, arguing that a safer environment is essential for farming and business activities.
While kidnapping and other criminal activities remain a challenge, the Edo government says its strategy is aimed at changing the operating environment for criminal networks—from providing safe havens and prolonged trials to sustained forest operations, arrests and accelerated prosecution.
