By Paul Ezenwa
For years, Edo was caught in a kidnap trap. Cult wars, abductions and organised crime stalked communities and scared away investors.
Governor Monday Okpebholo is now trying to break that trap with a simple formula: flush them out of the forests, catch them fast, jail them swiftly.
The game-changer is the Edo State Special Criminal Court created to fast-track kidnapping and cultism cases that once dragged for years.
Its impact was felt on Tuesday, September 29, when Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu sentenced four men to death for kidnapping a woman at a vegetable market on Airport Road, Benin City on June 14.
Convicted were Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael on charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms.
The prosecution called seven witnesses and presented documentary evidence to secure the conviction, showing the shift from mere arrests to diligent prosecution.
That is the core of Okpebholo’s strategy – shorten the distance between arrest and judgment so impunity dies.
The court does not work in isolation. It is backed by weekly bush-combing operations involving the police, other security agencies and community security structures to deny kidnappers safe havens.
The results are adding up. In August alone, Edo Police arrested 13 suspected kidnappers, rescued nine victims and made multiple arrests for cultism and violent crimes.
In September, a distress call triggered a coordinated operation in Illeh forest in Esan West, leading to the rescue of three victims and arrest of three suspects.
For Okpebholo, security is not just about guns and patrols, it is the foundation for roads, farms, power and jobs.
That link is already attracting money. Skyewise Group announced N9 billion investment in Benin City, a 100MW power project is proposed in Ologbo, and Presco is expanding with $100 million.
Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa said the administration’s security laws and operations are making Edo safer for farming and investment, a view echoed by investors.
The criminal networks are not gone, but Edo has changed the game. The state that once feared kidnappers is now hunting them down and jailing them fast.
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