Edo Governor Okpebholo Says He Began Casting Out Demons at 17
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State told a church congregation that he began casting out demons as a teenager, linking his youth to the fight against cultism and insecurity in the state.
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has said his involvement in spiritual warfare began in his teenage years, telling a congregation that he was already casting out demons at 17 or 18. The governor made the disclosure during a church service at The Votage Church, where he reflected on his youth and on what he described as spiritual battles and cultism.
Addressing young worshippers, Okpebholo said their presence in church reminded him of his own teenage years. «When I see young ones standing in the presence of God, I remember at 17, 18, I had also started casting out demons,» he said. The remark drew the governor's personal history into a public setting, framing his spiritual formation as a foundation for his later approach to governance.
Okpebholo said his early experiences had given him a personal understanding of the challenges facing young people in Edo State, particularly insecurity and cult-related activity. «Fighting insecurity, especially cultism, is not a new thing to me. It is something that has been happening,» he added. The governor presented his teenage engagement with spiritual matters as continuous with the work he now describes as confronting cultism and disorder.
The governor also spoke about the influence of the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa on his spiritual background. Idahosa, a prominent Nigerian Pentecostal leader, is widely credited with shaping a generation of charismatic Christianity in the country, and Okpebholo cited that legacy as part of his own formation. The reference placed the governor's account within a broader tradition of Nigerian Pentecostal spirituality, in which deliverance and spiritual authority are central practices.
The church's lead pastor described the governor's visit as an opportunity to appreciate his commitment to the people and to pray for the progress of Edo State. The pastor stressed the importance of leaders seeking spiritual guidance and encouraged continued efforts towards peace and development across the state. In a statement issued after the service, The Votage Church said it was honoured to host Governor Okpebholo, adding that prayers were offered for the peace, progress and prosperity of Edo State.
The service brought together the governor's public responsibilities and the religious language in which he often frames them. By speaking about casting out demons and confronting cultism in the same address, Okpebholo linked spiritual authority to the practical task of maintaining order in a state that has contended with cult-related violence and insecurity. His account of beginning that work as a teenager also served as a message to younger worshippers, presenting faith as a path away from the pressures that draw some young people into cult groups.
For the congregation, the visit was both a moment of recognition and an occasion for prayer. Church leaders used the gathering to call for continued spiritual guidance for those in authority, while the governor's remarks offered a personal testimony intended to resonate with young people in the pews. The statement from The Votage Church closed the event by tying the governor's presence to hopes for peace and prosperity in Edo State, a framing that placed the service within the wider relationship between religious institutions and public life in Nigeria.
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