The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, has summoned traditional healers, native doctors, priests and priestesses to an emergency meeting over the escalating security crisis in Edo State and across Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Friday by Victor Nosakhare, on behalf of the Benin Traditional Council Secretary, Frank Irabor, the gathering is scheduled for 12pm prompt on Tuesday, 23 June 2026, at the royal palace.
The palace emphasised that the meeting, convened on the monarch’s direct authority, must be treated with the utmost urgency, as it seeks to explore indigenous spiritual interventions to complement ongoing government security efforts.
In a related development, the Council will host youth leaders—known locally as Okaighele—the following day, Wednesday, 24 June 2026, at the same time and venue.
The initiative signals heightened involvement from the traditional institution, which aims to bolster security agencies amid a rise in kidnapping and cult-related violence across the state. (NAN)