By Kassim Afegbua
“Let those who have ears, hear;” so goes the common saw. Now landlords are fastidious about who their tenants are; and that is positive! Edo State Government has been in the news over Governor Monday Okpebholo‘s stand on the ravaging activities of cult members, at intra and inter-cult levels, as well as kidnapping episodes. His stand is clear, and he is not deterred by polemics.
This ugly situation obviously festered when the immediate past government jettisoned its job, to face securing the office of the Governor in the 2024 election. It may have been inadvertently or quite probably deliberately orchestrated by the opposition political party, to create a state of anomie, if they failed. Within a month of Governor Okpebholo’s government, over eight persons were gunned down by cultists, who were carrying out retaliatory exploits within the dominant cult groups: the Eiye, the Maphites, the Black-Axe, and the Buccaneers.
Those killings were seen as a gut punch to the Governor, thus he immediately delved incisively into the predicament. He realized that these miscreants had been so emboldened that they believed they were above the law. The situation was comparable to and redolent of the activities of the five notorious mafia families of New York.
In the early days, the irate Governor merely warned those involved to sheath their swords; but on realizing that his warnings fell on deaf ears, and his authority was being challenged, even after he personally drove one of the suspected heads of a cult group, who had reportedly raised objections to the governor’s warnings, to the Benin City Police Station; where he graciously handed him over to the Police for prosecution. He then decided to raise his tactics several notches. That suspect is still behind bars and undergoing prosecution.
As expected, such evil run up; and this one did; so, in a bid to stem the recurrence of the menace, Governor Okpebholo decided to retool, rework and rejig the anti-cultism and the anti-kidnapping laws. He injected some new provisions into the laws, to mitigate the spread of the practice. Promptly, he signed it into law and raised the awareness of the essential provisions of the law amongst the public, for appropriate caution.
The new law recommends death penalty for kidnappers who are found culpable of their acts after undergoing prosecution in the relevant courts of law. Some critics have raised dust over this provision, saying it is “draconian,” “heavy-handed,” and a “gunboat policy of sorts;” but the governor who has reckoned the looming domino effect of the nefarious activities of the kidnappers and cultists maintains that his stand is, zero tolerance. The history books carry the prescription for dealing with such mess- it always boils down to zero tolerance.
The cultists activities he says, is an overarching predicament that could bring all the positive efforts of the government to nothing, if unchecked. He is poised for a stable and tranquil political environment that would stimulate enterprise and attract external investments, while protecting and growing internal ones. Once the new law became active, the governor released his caterpillars from park. “If you are a kidnapper, your building will be pushed down; If you are a landlord, and you harbour kidnapped victims in your house or allow the ill thereof, your house will be pushed down,” he says.
With quite a few examples to show that the governor means business, the citizens are now fastidious about who is who, and who does what and where. As I write, a roll back of this menace has already been recorded, even as the governor persists and intensifies effort to bring its toll to zero. He insists that the net effect of this menace will be negative, hence his stand. According to him, Edo must be governable and must be viable for good intentions and purposes. He is set to fulfill his mandate of ensuring that the security of lives and properties is guaranteed in Edo State.
Having held several security meetings with all the existing security agencies in the state, to ensure that they feel his pulse on the matter, he has given them additional logistics support to execute the task of quashing cultism in the state. “I was not elected to create avenues for killings. Anybody who tests my resolve, will have himself to blame,” he says. The special anti-cultism strike force he set up is fast spreading its tentacles across the state. Within two weeks of its existence, the Arena Building, and three others that were hideouts for cultists masquerading as businessmen, were pushed down; and palpable calm returned to the area.
This ugly duo, cultism and kidnapping had been nearing epidemic levels, thanks to the immediate past government. The decision of Governor Okpebholo is not to apply kid gloves to this matter; let all take note, Edo state which was vaunted as the headquarters of cultism, is now making a U-turn. The distraction it continues to cause for the government has been judged to be too costly.
Allow me share my story on this subject that intrigued me many years ago, to enrich this piece: during my undergraduate years, I decided to understudy the activities of cultism and its gamut, tracing its origin to the Nigerian universities and discovered the rationale for their existence. I negotiated attendance into about 14 cult admissions ceremonies, where new members were recruited in a most brutish way, ostensibly to test the resolve of those new members. I prepared questionnaires which I administered on members and other students, and my discoveries were as vacuous as the practice itself.
Tracing its origin to the days of the Pyrate Confraternity in the University College, Ibadan, whose aim was to confront colonialism and its associated vices, this association suddenly began to bear fruits in the emergence of sister cult groups. Originating with a motive to fight colonialism in all its ramifications albeit, its modus operandi soon began to take a different path, once Nigeria gained independence and neo-colonialism set its feet forward.
Till date, members of the Pyrate Confraternity will tell you pronto, that the group is not a secret cult, but their usual sessions are never conducted in the public. If the initial motive was to fight colonialism, today, it has undoubtedly become another kettle of fish in this era of neo-colonialism. Arguments can be advanced to rationalise and even extenuate all other variables by members of these groups, but the reality remains what it is- a secret cult.
The point I am making is that the original group has splintered into unpremeditated variants which are downright groups of killers, disguised as groups stamping their imprimatur on the society. Edo state, once an endemic flashpoint for this practice, is now making a U-turn; and Governor Okpebholo insists on “No to Cultism.” He wishes to dialyse the system for a better Edo State. He wants to see friendly solidarity that would promote peace and tranquility across the state, to simplify governance, for the overall good of the people. Those who are already talking about fighting him, may have to make a choice between iron fist and brotherliness.
While his caterpillars are at work in the cities and towns, the citizens who are often at the receiving end of these anti-social behaviours, need to reciprocate his gesture with cooperation and support in good faith. This government has picked up the gauntlet to fight on their behalf and will not relent. As Edo State Government’s initiatives continue to yield positive results, the people will be better for it. The government needs our cooperation, our support and our solidarity, to deliver on its mandate and focal responsibilities.
Let us all rally round Governor Monday Okpebholo by shunning acts that were designed to drag us backward; shun cultism and kidnapping. Let us value the communality of our existence as brothers and sisters. A new Edo is possible. A new Edo is on the horizon. And we can only achieve the overall objectives if we are ready to support government to create enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Afegbua, a former Commissioner for Information in Edo state writes from Benin
