By Comrade Festus Alenkhe
For years, Edo State wore the toga of shame. Our once peaceful communities became battlegrounds. Cultism, with its attendant bloodletting, extortion, and fear, became a second government. Our youths were the casualties, our fathers and mothers the mourners, and our future the ultimate victim.
Today, there is a ray of hope. There is reason to clap hands. There is reason to say that governance has returned to the business of protecting lives.
Under Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo, the war against cultism in Edo State has moved from rhetoric to results. And the dividends are clear for all to see: peace and harmony are gradually returning to our streets.
Political Will, Decisive Action
What changed? Political will.
This administration drew a red line and dared cultists to cross it. The governor gave a marching order to security agencies: dismantle the networks, arrest the sponsors, and restore order. No sacred cows. They should all be sacrificed. No excuses.
The partnership between the police, DSS, and local vigilante groups, with the backing of traditional rulers, has, no doubt, yielded arrests, prosecutions, and the disruption of cult cells that once operated with impunity. For the first time, cult leaders are looking over their shoulders.
The Streets Are Speaking
Go to Benin tonight. Go to Ekpoma, Auchi, and Uromi. The fear that caged our people is lifting.
Students are returning to classes without looking behind them. Traders are staying late in the markets. Nightclubs and social events are coming back to life.
When a mother can send her child to evening lessons without prayers and panic, that is governance. When a businessman can count his money at 9pm without fear, that is progress.
Beyond Guns: Giving Youths An Alternative
Government has also understood that you cannot fight cultism with bullets alone. The Okpebholo administration is rolling out skills acquisition, sports, and empowerment programmes to engage our youths. Idle hands, they say, are the devil’s workshop. Give them work, give them hope, and you drain the cults’ recruitment pool dry.
Our Charge
We must not get carried away. The hydra-headed monster of cultism does not die easily. It thrives on silence, on politics, and on community complicity.
Therefore, our appeal to Edo people is simple: cooperate with security agencies. Name and shame cultists in your communities. Parents, monitor your children. Traditional rulers, do not shield criminals.
To the governor: maintain the momentum. Fund the security architecture. Complete the youth programmes. Let this peace be permanent, not seasonal.
Conclusion
Edo State is not yet eldorado. But we are moving. Under Senator Monday Okpebholo, we have traded the culture of fear for a culture of peace.
For that, Edo people say thank you. And for the sake of our children, we say: do not relent.
Ace Crime reporter Alenkhe, the Acting General Manager of Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) is the current Chairman of Edo Council of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ).
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