The Edo State Government has sealed the Mega Hub event centre in Benin City, barely four days after popular rapper Eedris Abdulkareem criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration during a performance there.
The facility, which also operates as an eatery, hosted a party tagged “Mega Rave: A Night with the Legends” on April 3, 2026. During his set, Abdulkareem paused his performance to lambast the Tinubu administration, describing the president as “the worst” in the country and accusing him of failing to visit the scene of a deadly attack in Jos, Plateau State, despite heavy security presence.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the rapper mocked President Tinubu’s visit to Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang on April 2, noting that the president addressed politicians and select victims but did not proceed to the community where about 30 people were killed on March 29. He also lamented the prevailing economic hardship, blaming it on the current administration, and warned that supporters of Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) would suffer for their choice.
Officials of the Edo State Government sealed the Mega Hub on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. A video shared online showed the entrance barricaded with red tape and an inscription on the wall reading: “Sealed by EDSG 7/4/26.”
The action has sparked controversy, with many linking the sealing directly to Abdulkareem’s criticism of the president. Governor Monday Okpebholo, who is of the same APC as President Tinubu, has repeatedly pledged to deliver Edo State for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
When contacted for comments, the Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kassim Afegbua, denied any political motive. He insisted the centre was sealed due to security intelligence and not because of the rapper’s comments. Reports later indicated that the facility has since been reopened.
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