The Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, His Royal Highness Ezelekhae Ewuare II, on Tuesday declared his full support for Governor Monday Okpebholo’s anti-cultism campaign but warned against the harassment of innocent young men under the guise of identifying suspected cultists or kidnappers.
The Crown Prince expressed concern over what he described as frightening police operations, which he said have caused many young people to flee the state.
He noted that such actions are counterproductive and detrimental to the growth and productivity of the state.
In a statement issued on his behalf by his secretary, Cosmos Oviasuyi, the Crown Prince condemned the rising cases of cult clashes, which he said justified the government’s crackdown.
He described cultism as a menace that has deeply infiltrated society and threatens to destabilize the long-standing cultural values of the Benin Kingdom.
“This is a clarion call to all Benin sons and daughters to shun cultism, which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society and threatens to uproot the foundation of our kingdom,” the statement read.
He noted that the Benin Kingdom has a longstanding reputation for brotherhood and hospitality, which is now being undermined by increasing incidents of cult-related violence.
“It is disheartening that in recent times, this age-long reputation is under threat as a result of cult-related activities and clashes, which have led to the loss of valuable lives, senseless killings of vibrant young men, and destruction of property,” he stated.
The Crown Prince lamented that the violence has turned many young women into widows and left numerous children orphaned.
He called on all citizens to support the state government’s efforts to end cultism, emphasizing that meaningful development cannot occur without peace.
However, he expressed concern over complaints from residents about police officers allegedly harassing innocent young people during the enforcement of the anti-cultism initiative.
“Even though we are against the activities of cultists, making our young ones run away from their homeland for fear of harassment is not acceptable,” he said.
The Crown Prince urged law enforcement agencies to adopt more responsible and community-friendly strategies in their operations to ensure that innocent residents are not victimized in the course of enforcing the law.
