Edo is committed to curtailing crime in the state through strengthened operational security and force of law, writes JOHN MAYAKI
The battle against insecurity is often won not by buzz words but by the steady accumulation of actions and enormous political will. In Edo State, Governor Monday Okpebholo appears determined to build such an accumulation, stitching together legislation, enforcement, judicial reforms and logistics into what is emerging as a comprehensive security architecture.
For years, cultism and kidnapping cast long shadows across the state. Violent cult rivalries claimed lives with disturbing regularity while kidnappers exploited forests, highways and rural communities, creating an atmosphere of fear that threatened economic and social life. Confronted with this reality upon assumption of office, the governor chose an approach that combines the force of law with the reach of security agencies and the authority of the courts.
The first pillar of that strategy was legislative. Okpebholo’s recognition that security operations are only as effective as the laws that support them, immediately secured the enactment of the Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) Law, 2025, as well as amendments to the Kidnapping Prohibition Law.
