*NEWS EDITORIAL: OKPEBHOLO’S CRUSADE AGAINST CULTISM – EDO FINALLY BREATHES AGAIN*
_By 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 mothers the mourners, and our future the ultimate victim.
Today, there is reason to hope. There is reason to clap. 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. No excuses.
The partnership between the Police, DSS, and local vigilante groups, with the backing of traditional rulers, has 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 class without looking behind them. Traders are staying late in the market. 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 programs to engage our youths. Idle hands, we know, are the devil’s workshop. Give them work, give them hope, and you take away the cults’ recruitment pool.
*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: sustain the momentum. Fund the security architecture. Complete the youth programs. 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.
_Festus Alenkhe the writer of this News Editorial is based in Benin City._
