The Edo State gubernatorial hopeful from the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Dr. Dennis Osahon Aikoriogie has accused political figures of being complicit in the rise of cult-related violence in the state.
In a media discussion, Aikoriogie also suggested that many of these politicians exploit these thugs and cultists during elections but struggle to rein them in afterward.
In his words:
“Cult activities are being encouraged by the political class because they employ the services of these people during elections, empowering these thugs and arming them with dangerous weapons. It becomes practically impossible to retrieve these weapons after elections.”
“Most of these politicians are also members of secret cults. Many of them are members of secret societies.”
On his stance over their activities, he said:
“First of all, I’m not going to indulge any member; I’m not going to use any of those groups or associations to win elections.”
“I’m also not going to tolerate or ignore their activities in Edo state when I come on board.”
On how he hopes to address the menace of cultism that has become a cancer in the state, he first acknowledged that unemployment is one of the factors responsible, promising to tackle that upon coming on board as Governor.
“Because if someone is gainfully employed, like in America, they have a 9-to-4 or 9-to-5 employment, or they are gainfully employed, nobody is going to have time to gather and say, ‘Go and destroy this person, go and destroy this house’ because everybody is gainfully employed, they are gainfully engaged.”
“So by curbing unemployment in Edo state, secret societies, and killings will be stopped and also addressing it still the root cause, in terms of higher institutions of learning, most people are recruited into secret societies on that basis.”
On other measures to eradicate the vice in Edo state, he said:
“We’ll try as much as possible to work with the Vice Chancellors and heads of those institutions to make sure that their activities are curtailed in Edo State.
“We’ll come out and enact laws that will frown upon the activities of these cult killings and make sure that anybody who is found involved in cult killings will be prescribed a very strenuous judgment in terms of going through legislation, through the house of Assembly to make sure that a great sanction is placed on those who are involved in these cult killings.”
“And anyone who is found culpable is going to bear the full wrath of the law.
“So when you come out with these measures, by first of all addressing the issue of unemployment, addressing the root causes from the recruitment process through higher institutions of learning, working with the Vice Chancellors, and also enacting strenuous laws through the house of Assembly to make sure anyone who is found aiding and abetting cult activities in Edo state is made to face the full wrath of the law, these cult killings will be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.
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