By Kikelomo Adeleye, 4th May, 2025
News SOCIETY WATCH following for you : Nobody amputates their head because of a headache. In the same vein, it is unjust and counterproductive for the state to demolish properties owned or inhabited by individuals uninvolved in criminal activities, simply because those premises were associated with crimes committed by others.
When the Edo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo, announced its intent to demolish properties connected to kidnappers and cultists—a move said to be based on an amendment of existing laws previously signed by former Governor Godwin Obaseki—I immediately reached out to a friend in the legislative arm. I wanted to understand his stance on the matter and to express my concern that it is fundamentally wrong to punish third parties for crimes they neither committed nor benefited from.
But as is often the case in Nigeria, once individuals find themselves at the “dining table” of political power, they become masters of “good table manners”—the first rule being, don’t talk while eating. Suddenly, objectivity and empathy vanish, and reason gives way to compliance.
Most of us strongly condemn kidnapping, cultism, and every form of criminality. We want these vices eradicated decisively. However, any action taken by the state must be fair, just, and rooted in the principles of a decent society governed by the rule of law. Punishment must target the guilty—not the innocent.
Consider these heart-wrenching examples:
A father, who did the right thing by reporting his son to the police after the young man murdered his girlfriend, had his house demolished because the suspect lived there.
A landlord residing in the diaspora had his property reduced to rubble because tenants allegedly used it as a hideout for internet fraud (commonly known as “HK”).
In Edo North, an aged couple’s home was destroyed because their son was allegedly involved in kidnapping—even though the elderly parents had no knowledge of his activities.
In all these scenarios, none of the properties were owned by the perpetrators. Yet the innocent property owners have been made to suffer the ultimate penalty—loss of the homes and assets they toiled their entire lives to build. This is not justice; this is institutionalized vengeance.
Even in highly developed nations with robust background check systems, landlords occasionally end up renting to criminals. Some tenants who passed every due diligence process have later committed mass shootings or terrorist acts. Yet, never do those governments demolish the homes they rented or punish the property owners, except where there is clear complicity or evidence of benefitting from the crime.
What the Edo State Government is doing under this policy is the application of collective punishment—a principle rejected in modern legal systems and incompatible with the rule of law. Governments in sane societies only seize or demolish proven assets of those directly involved in crimes. Innocent third parties are protected, not persecuted.
I urge all those affected by these demolitions to seek legal redress. The judiciary remains the last hope of the common man, and it must rise to the occasion to protect the innocent. At the same time, I appeal to the Edo State Government and the legislature to revisit and amend this law to reflect fairness, justice, and modern standards of governance.
We must not regress into jungle justice under the guise of fighting crime. Let the punishment fit the crime, and let the innocent be shielded from undeserved hardship.
God bless Edo State.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
