Okpebholo says he started casting out demons at 17, claims fighting insecurity is not new to him

• Monday Okpebholo said he began casting out demons at 17.

• The Edo governor linked his teenage religious experience to his fight against insecurity.

• He specifically mentioned cultism as an area he has experience confronting.

• He made the remarks during a church service in Benin City.

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo has said he began casting out demons at the age of 17 or 18, claiming that his experience has made the fight against insecurity, particularly cultism, familiar to him.

Okpebholo made the statement while speaking during a Sunday service at The VOTAGE Church, also known as the Voice of This Age, at the WINLOS Centre in Benin City.

The governor was speaking about his early years in Christian ministry when he recalled his activities as a teenager.

According to him, seeing young people gathered in church reminded him of his own experience at their age, when he said he had already started casting out demons.

He then connected that experience to his current efforts to tackle insecurity in Edo State, particularly cult-related activities.

Okpebholo said fighting insecurity and cultism was not new to him because, in his account, he had been involved in confronting such issues since his teenage years. 

The governor also spoke about the influence of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, the prominent Edo-born Pentecostal leader and founder of Church of God Mission International, on his Christian background.

The remarks were captured in a video from the church service which resurfaced on social media on Tuesday and subsequently generated attention online.

The VOTAGE Church confirmed Okpebholo's attendance at the service, describing the gathering as a time of prayer for the peace, progress and prosperity of Edo State.

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Okpebholo also confirmed his attendance in a post on X, saying he worshipped at Living Faith Church on Sapele Road before proceeding to The VOTAGE Church in Benin City.

According to the governor, prayers were offered for the continued peace and protection of Edo State, as well as wisdom and strength for those in leadership and blessings for residents and their families. 

Okpebholo's comments have attracted attention because of the unusual way he linked his claimed teenage religious activities to his current responsibility for tackling insecurity and cultism as governor.

The governor has made insecurity a recurring issue in his administration, particularly the activities of cult groups, kidnapping and other criminal elements in Edo State.

In his latest remarks, however, he presented the fight against such threats as something he had encountered long before becoming governor.