In a move to combat rising criminal activity, the Edo State Government has announced plans to broaden the enforcement of its anti-cultism laws to include individuals engaged in internet fraud, commonly known as “Yahoo boys.”
The announcement was made by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, during a quarterly media briefing on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
The decision comes in the wake of growing concerns about insecurity in the state, and following the tragic murder of a University of Benin (UNIBEN) student, Mr. Alexander, a 200-level Political Science part-time student. Mr. Alexander was killed in front of the university gate the week before last. Commissioner Afegbua indicated that the killing was believed to be linked to a dispute related to internet fraud.
“A young man who was at the University of Benin to write his exam was reportedly killed by gunmen suspected to be his business colleagues,” Afegbua stated. “It is alleged that a sum of money earned as a group was lodged in his account. His colleagues wanted to share the money, but he kept postponing, leading to the suspicion that he was attempting to cheat them. They tracked him to the university and attacked him after his exam.”
Afegbua lamented the senseless loss of life. He further connected the incident to the broader issue of youth involvement in internet fraud and cultism.
Edo State enacted the Secret Cult and Similar Activities (Prohibition) Law in 2025, which imposes strict penalties for cult-related offenses, including imprisonment and property confiscation. Now, the state government intends to leverage this existing legislation to address the growing problem of internet fraud.
“The state government has made it clear that our approach to cultism is zero tolerance,” Afegbua emphasized. “We are even going to add the issue of Yahoo Yahoo to our anti-cultism law now because we are seeing that, as cultism is being tackled head-on, perpetrators now hide under the guise of Yahoo Yahoo to wreak havoc.”
Afegbua urged young people to focus their energies on productive activities that would allow them to maximize their potential and contribute positively to society. He also reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to fighting cultism and other criminal activities, assuring the public that the government would not be deterred by criticism and would continue to work to nip this social crisis in the bud.
He confirmed that the investigation into Mr. Alexander’s murder is ongoing, and some suspects have been apprehended. The government expressed optimism that security agencies will bring the perpetrators to justice. He advised that people can go about their normal activities without bloodletting.
