Edo state Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has sent a warning to landlords and property owners across the state that any building linked to criminal activities will be demolished without hesitation.
The governor personally supervised the demolition of a building allegedly used by cultists and internet fraudsters in Ogheghe, Benin, as part of his administration’s renewed crackdown on criminal hideouts.
According to reports, victims were held against their will for years, and shrines were discovered within the premises.
Visibly disturbed by the findings, Governor Okpebholo described the discovery as “wickedness in its highest form.”
He promised that his administration would not relent in identifying and dismantling criminal strongholds.
The governor also announced that the land where the building once stood would be used to serve public interest, starting with the construction of a police station.
The state government also pulled down a suspected cult operational base at the end of Arena Street in Amagba, Benin.
The structure included a hall, office spaces, and rooms equipped with mattresses, believed to be used for cult-related activities.
The latest demolitions are part of the state’s aggressive enforcement of the new anti-cultism law signed by Governor Okpebholo, which authorises the demolition of properties tied to cult activity and criminal enterprise.
