Edo Records 129 Homicide, Cult-Related Cases In Two Months – Obaseki

The Edo State Government has reported a total of 129 cases of homicide and cult-related incidents over a two-month period.

Governor Godwin Obaseki revealed these figures during a press briefing held after the monthly Security Council meeting at the Government House in Benin City.

According to Obaseki, 79 cases were documented in June, while 50 were recorded in July. He pointed out that this was a decrease from the alarming 129 cases recorded in May alone.

The security situation in the state was evaluated by a special task force led by the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS). This task force was established in May 2024 to address and mitigate the rising cult-related violence in the state.

“We just finished the Security Council meeting where we reviewed the security situation in Edo State.

“We used the opportunity to also review our monthly incidence reports and observed that the incidence of cultism and homicide have reduced drastically since we set up the Committee on Cultism,” Obaseki stated.

He reminded the press that the committee was formed in response to a surge in criminal activities in May, with 129 cases of crime that month, largely driven by cultism, homicide, and drug-related offenses.

“Since that Committee swung into action, we have seen remarkable success. The incidence dropped from 129 in May to 79 in June and to a further 50 incidents in July. August till date, we have also seen a similar trend,” the governor added.

Obaseki also mentioned that numerous arrests have been made and assured that the Edo State Government would soon begin prosecuting the suspects.

He expressed confidence that, based on the evidence collected so far, the state would be able to secure convictions against those arrested.