BY ROSEMARY NWAEBUNI
“I joined a secret cult in the higher institution to avoid being intimidated by cult members on campus. I was robbed of my mobile phone as a fresher on the campus by some cultists, after which I made up my mind to become a cultist to stop such an incident from repeating itself.
‘’When my phone was stolen, I reported the incident to one of my friends, and he advised me to join his family (cult), and nobody would collect my phone again. That was how I became a cultist. My friend who initiated me later died in a cult clash. Even though I have not killed anybody since I joined the cult, I have initiated many other youths into it.
‘’I went into armed robbery with some other cultists when I returned to Aba for my industrial training. Since then, I have not gone back to complete my studies. I regret my actions and promise that I will not return to cultism again if I am let off the hook. There is no gain in being a member of a cult’’.
The above confession of Duru, a 24-year-old undergraduate who was arrested in Aba by the Abia State Police Command for allegedly robbing one Ezeugo Ogbonna of his valuables and a huge sum of money, underscores the interwoven nature of cultism with other forms of criminality, including armed robbery.
The sweeping nature of secret cult activities, particularly in universities and other tertiary institutions, has become a pervasive malaise deeply entrenched in Nigeria’s socio-economic and cultural fabric, requiring urgent and decisive action to stem the tide and possibly reverse the trend.
Cultism can be described as the nexus of activities carried out by members of a cult group. This description aligns with the depiction of cult as a social group with unusual, deviant or unorthodox beliefs and practices, often centred around a charismatic leader who demands absolute loyalty.
Cults may be religious, spiritual or philosophical in nature, usually employing manipulative and deceptive techniques to control and dictate all aspects of members’ lives, including their beliefs, behaviour and social interactions.
In Nigeria, cult groups are often referred to as Secret Societies or Secret Cults because their activities and practices are hidden from the public and non-members. Membership of secret cults is typically associated with oath-taking and other forms of rituals, including initiation ceremonies. They have a chain of command similar to militia groups, use code words and have a distinguishing emblem or badge bearing the favourite weapon of the cult, along with its colour.
Although secret cults are banned in Nigeria and several members have been arrested, prosecuted and jailed over the years, the lure for membership among young people has continued to be stronger over time, with continuous recruitment of new members.
Cultism in Nigeria began in 1952 with the formation and registration of a socio-cultural club named the National Association of Sea Dogs, also known as Pyrates Confraternity, at the University College, Ibadan, by Wole Soyinka and six friends. They called themselves the Magnificent Seven.
The Pyrates Confraternity, with the motto, ‘’Against All Conventions’’, was founded as a result of their dissatisfaction with what was obtainable on campus at that time. The university was then filled with wealthy, arrogant and oppressive students who were backed by colonial powers. They were also distraught with the social life on campus, which was woven around tribalism, nepotism and favouritism.
This prevailing campus climate prompted the Magnificent Seven to form the Pyrates Confraternity. It was a peaceful and non-violent cult group, aimed to maintain law and order on campuses; promote social justice and respect for human dignity; as well as eradicate colonialism, tribalism and elitism. It was not initially conceived as a secret cult, but rather as a fraternity with patriotic and unselfish objectives.
In the late 1960s, misunderstanding arose within the ranks of the Pyrates, leading to the breakaway students forming the Buccaneers Confraternity. Thereafter, other campus cult groups like the Black Axe sprang up. These later fraternities became increasingly associated with violence, extortion, and intimidation; harassment of students, lecturers and staff; blackmail, drug abuse, rape, kidnapping and murder; thereby creating an atmosphere of fear in the campuses.
Most times, rival cults engage in supremacy battles on campus, leading to disruption of academic activities; vandalism and destruction of property, including buildings, vehicles and other facilities; physical violence, injuries and even death.
They also engage in violent initiation rituals to induct new members, involving physical torture. All these untoward activities highlight the various threats that campus cult groups pose to the safety of students and the academic environment of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Initially, these cult groups were confined within the campuses of tertiary institutions, but from the 1990s, they began spreading to the streets in urban areas and rural communities, leaving pain, tears and blood in their trail.
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