From Fear to Confidence: Edo’s Security Drive Begins to Reshape the State
By Paul Ezenwa
For years, kidnapping, cult-related violence and other organised crimes cast a long shadow over communities in Edo State. Today, the state is pursuing a different security direction; one built around stronger enforcement, closer coordination among security agencies and faster prosecution of serious offences.
The latest evidence came on Tuesday, September 29, when the Edo State Special Criminal Court sentenced four men to death over the June 14 kidnapping of a woman at a vegetable market along Airport Road, Benin City.
The judgment brought a major kidnapping case to a decisive legal conclusion. Marvellous Isaac, Wisdom Michael, Rufus Emete Michael and Gift Raphael were convicted on charges arising from kidnapping, conspiracy, armed robbery, cultism and unlawful possession of firearms.
The prosecution called seven witnesses and presented documentary and other evidence before Justice Aigbona Terry Momodu delivered judgment. The case demonstrates the administration’s effort to move beyond arrests to the timely determination of serious criminal cases.
That emphasis on swift justice is deliberate. At the instance of Governor Monday Okpebholo, Edo established a Special Criminal Court dedicated to expediting kidnapping and cultism cases.
The move was designed to shorten the distance between arrest and justice, while reinforcing the message that serious crimes would be pursued through the courts rather than allowed to linger indefinitely.
The judicial response complements a wider security architecture. The administration has backed joint operations involving the police, other security agencies and community-based security structures, while weekly bush-combing operations have been reported as part of efforts to deny kidnappers safe havens.
In August alone, the Edo Police Command reported 13 suspected kidnappers arrested and nine victims rescued, alongside arrests linked to cultism and other violent crimes.
The approach is also increasingly intelligence-led. In September, security operatives rescued three kidnapping victims and arrested three suspects after a distress call triggered a coordinated operation in the Illeh forest area of Esan West.
Such operations illustrate the continuing contest for control of difficult terrain and show why the administration has placed sustained pressure on criminal networks rather than treating individual incidents in isolation.
For Governor Okpebholo, however, security is not an end in itself. It is the foundation upon which everyday life and economic activity must stand. His administration has linked improved security with its wider infrastructure, agriculture, energy and investment agenda.
That connection is already visible in new private-sector commitments, including Skyewise Group’s reported N9 billion investment in Benin City, a proposed 100MW power project in Ologbo and other major development initiatives.
The investment story is particularly significant because businesses ultimately respond to confidence. In September, Deputy Governor Dennis Idahosa said the administration’s security policies and legislative reforms were helping to create a safer environment for investment and agricultural production. Earlier, investors behind a $100 million Presco expansion also cited the state’s governance and security environment among factors supporting investment confidence.
Edo’s security challenge is not over, and recent arrests and rescue operations show that criminal networks remain active. But the direction is increasingly clear: stronger security coordination, specialised justice mechanisms and sustained pressure on criminal groups are being placed alongside roads, power, agriculture and investment as part of the state’s development strategy.
The ambition is simple and deeply humane; an Edo where families can move without fear, businesses can invest with greater confidence, and communities can look to the future with a stronger sense of security.
