When the world saw the BBC documentary on “: Nigeria’s Mafia Cult” (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViTQ7N7iUQ0), the kind of surprise that greeted it, especially in the media, was not expected. This is because, while the whole narrative is excruciating, it is obvious that we dug our own graves and the ghosts we failed to bury have been haunting us. We should have known that one day we would be caught in the embrace of the nemesis of our lethargic act. I submit that society caused and has continued to nurture cultism, and, sadly, without pausing to consider the consequences for every one of us.

Cultism in Nigeria, when it first started, had no ties with violence and unrest as it is today. The foundations of these groups were birthed of knowledge, resilience, and intellectual convictions. The freedom of people from colonial and neo-colonial oppression formed the original motivation of the early groups. Cult groups were conceived to position good morals as well as elevate literary creativity in Nigerian higher institutions. The Magnificent Seven’s establishment of the National Association of Seadogs, popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, at the University of Ibadan in 1952 was born out of the desire for social change and not close to what is obtainable today. After this, similar groups erupted, and people came out to align to the beautiful common goals. An example of this was the Eiye Confraternity of 1958, also founded at the University of Ibadan.

In the 1970s, the face of cults in Nigerian higher institutions of learning started changing its cloaks. This was largely due to the derailment from the original ideologies and the establishment of new cult groups who initially started with good intentions but quickly eclipsed to groups capable of conceiving and creating the more endemic menace they first existed to curb. The proscription and criminalisation of cultism and its activities had rather been a hypocritical mockery of itself. The banning has not been followed with matching force, and it has become more of a celebrated horror in society. Cultists are now almost confident and do not mind whose ox is gored. Those at the helms of control and operation of these cults have gotten so fierce that death does not sink their courage.

Body counts are done against warring groups. Like football scores, records of how much one group has attacked the other are kept and prided in like a coveted trophy. No conscience, no remorse, just brutality, cruelty, and unforgiveness. To the cultists, it is either them or the world. A famous public display of cultism is the popular 7/7 celebration, especially the Boogie-Night by the (). Many of them consider this particular day as “Cultist Day,” and it is widely celebrated by their members. As this day approaches, society begins to prepare too, increasing their security consciousness so as not to be caught unaware by eventualities and the aftermath of the cults’ celebrations.

It is not that our present condition is immutable, but we have long slept when the opportunity to nip cult activities in the bud presented itself. Today, cultists now operate like pseudo-social groups in the community. Their activities are no longer restricted to the schools from where they started. They now own and manage parks, markets, and the youth structures in many societies. But then, the question that continues to linger is how we got here as a nation. How did we dig our grave to the point that our youths are gradually falling into it like goats led to a slaughterhouse?

Almost all theories of crime explain why cultism came to be and why it is still festering. More appropriately, the sociological theorists of crime believe that criminal disposition is of a social origin; that is, society pressures individuals to commit a crime. Robert Merton posits that criminal dispositions such as cultism are related to the concept of anomie which ascribes crime to societal structures and expectations. A social order is established in which people are expected to aim at surging these echelons, and failure to succeed in doing this might have psychological fallouts on people. There is a similar causal chain in Nigeria, where cultism seems to be a thing of pride. While society expects individuals to succeed, there is almost zero opportunity to match this expectation. The youths become utterly dejected and seek a way out, either to defend themselves against those who have been affected or to find another means to achieve their goals. Today, many people have joined cultism because they find it to be the easiest and most available escape route.

As a society, we have dug our graves, and we are now reaping the consequences. Our current situation also ridicules our long clench to a communalistic and, especially, moralistic society. In time past, we had societal institutions, values, and norms that helped check wayward activities from the start. However, there has been a breakdown of all this cultural pride – everyone is now for themselves. The Nigerian State and its institutions have failed their people. The police and other law enforcement agencies are no doubt becoming more dangerous to society than they are supposed to protect it. Unjust maltreatment of the people, despite rules and laws, has pushed people to the wall, and almost every agency established to maintain social normalcy is either non-functional or has become a shadow of itself. Cultism has continued to grow in the country, triggered by the lackadaisical attitude and negligence of many institutions of learning, where these cultists have found to be the best place for their mundane activities.

If we must subjugate cultism, we must approach it holistically. To begin, society must be able to revamp itself to eliminate the primary driving force behind cultism. Poverty alleviation must be the major focus of the government, and youth engagement and the creation of employment opportunities must be prioritised. Evidently, cultism has found its way through all strata, and as such, special attention must be given to it. There is also a need to overhaul the reformation of respective government agencies, especially by creating an anti-cultism agency, to put an end to this danger. The officials of this agency would be charged with the exclusive duty of orientation, prevention, and rehabilitation of cultists. Ours is a system that has been compromised from top to bottom, and we need other social institutions like NGOs, religious institutions to weigh in in the struggle to thwart this problem.

In addition, schools must take their duties in loco parentis as seriously as it is described. Cultism, especially those in the community, should be hunted down solely by the police. It is unsafe for civilians like the Onyabos of the Ikorodu part of Lagos State to pursue dangers alone. Maybe when we do this, we can chart a way forward in the war against cultism, cover the grave we dug, and make our society safe once again.

https://punchng.com/with-cultism-we-dug-our-graves/

Absolutely!!!

Cultism is one silly group that people who feels inferior about the morals join to intimate their peers....



My last experience with these people almost out me 6ft on the ground...


But that's a story for another day....

Legacy of Ejire Oluwole Soyinka and Co.......

Wahala for go join these groups. No peace of mind, always watching your back, could die at any given fvcking time, drugs, sex.... Damn d list is endless.


Say no to Cultism

E get days wey to belong dey sweet. Those days are long gone sadly.

Ordinary Keggite group, I no belong through out tertiary.

Not to talk of cultism wey no dey share money but trouble.

Both FG and state government should partner together and organize a program to reorientate Nigerians youths. There is no gain cultism..

Scores of decades can be settled anytime

You can never win any Nigerian election without cultists. Be it north or south.

Politicians now use cultists to rig election rewarding them handsomely so hw will they decided to just stop cultism is one of the most foolish thing

descarado:
You can never win any Nigerian election without cultists. Be it north or south.

You are very correct....
The most absurd thing is that it has spread to nursery schools.....
Many dons are here too....
I stayed New Hall.......

helinues:
Ordinary Keggite group, I no belong through out tertiary.

Not to talk of cultism wey no dey share money but trouble.

Both FG and state government should partner together and organize a program to reorientate Nigerians youths. There is no gain cultism..

Scores of decades can be settled anytime

Keggite is the unified umbrella......

helinues:
Ordinary Keggite group, I no belong through out tertiary.

Not to talk of cultism wey no dey share money but trouble.

Both FG and state government should partner together and organize a program to reorientate Nigerians youths. There is no gain cultism..

Scores of decades can be settled anytime

I saw many people wasted during our days....
Wale Portable....
Atkinson.....
Golden boy.....

Omooba77:


I saw many people wasted during our days....
Wale Portable....
Atkinson.....
Golden boy.....

Wale portable? The name sounds familiar..

More like I was in the midst of devil. I was closed to all group. Before or after operation, I dey always have knowledge.

Back then, it took lots of courage not to belong or be the victim. Guys don chop ground gan oo

Vile legacy of Soyinka, father of cultic terrorism. There is need for people of conscience to stand against this evil. Existing laws on cultism must be enforced fully any public officer who is should be sacked. May the day never come that public servants begin killing themselves because they are in different cults

vedaxcool:
Vile legacy of Soyinka, father of cultic terrorism. There is need for people of conscience to stand against this evil. Existing laws on cultism must be enforced fully any public officer who is should be sacked. May the day never come that public servants begin killing themselves because they are in different cults

Cultism back then was the beginning of activism in Nigeria campus. They weren't violent back then like this new generation who are in haste.

Seh Yele no be men?

OF ALL THE POLITICIANS INVOLVED IN ONLY OSHIOMHOLE IS HEARD OF. OSHIOMHOLE IS FMR GOVERNOR OF EDO STATE, FMR APC CHAIRMAN AND FMR PRESIDENT OF NLC. HE IS THEREFORE A CULT AND A FORCE IN NIGERIA. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT
A CULT IS A STYLISH RELIGION. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALLOWS MEMBERSHIP OF ANY ASSOCIATION OF ONE'S CHOICE.
THEREFORE EDO STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TURN INTO EDO STATE SECURITY AMOTEKUN..

orisa37:
OF ALL THE POLITICIANS INVOLVED IN ONLY OSHIOMHOLE IS HEARD OF. OSHIOMHOLE IS FMR GOVERNOR OF EDO STATE, FMR APC CHAIRMAN AND FMR PRESIDENT OF NLC. HE IS THEREFORE A CULT AND A FORCE IN NIGERIA. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT
A CULT IS A STYLISH RELIGION. THE CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALLOWS MEMBERSHIP OF ANY ASSOCIATION OF ONE'S CHOICE.
THEREFORE EDO STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TURN INTO EDO STATE SECURITY AMOTEKUN..

AS I HAVE ALREADY SAID ABOVE,

1, A CULT IS A RELIGION.
2, DON'T ENVY THEM.
3, DONOT BE UNEQUIVOCALLY YOKED WITH THEM IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN THEM..
4, REPORT INFRACTIONS TO FEDERAL POLICE
5, BENIN IS LOCATED IN THE SW NOT SE.

Omooba77:
When the world saw the BBC documentary on “: Nigeria’s Mafia Cult” (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViTQ7N7iUQ0), the kind of surprise that greeted it, especially in the media, was not expected. This is because, while the whole narrative is excruciating, it is obvious that we dug our own graves and the ghosts we failed to bury have been haunting us. We should have known that one day we would be caught in the embrace of the nemesis of our lethargic act. I submit that society caused and has continued to nurture cultism, and, sadly, without pausing to consider the consequences for every one of us.

Cultism in Nigeria, when it first started, had no ties with violence and unrest as it is today. The foundations of these groups were birthed of knowledge, resilience, and intellectual convictions. The freedom of people from colonial and neo-colonial oppression formed the original motivation of the early groups. Cult groups were conceived to position good morals as well as elevate literary creativity in Nigerian higher institutions. The Magnificent Seven’s establishment of the National Association of Seadogs, popularly known as the Pyrates Confraternity, at the University of Ibadan in 1952 was born out of the desire for social change and not close to what is obtainable today. After this, similar groups erupted, and people came out to align to the beautiful common goals. An example of this was the Eiye Confraternity of 1958, also founded at the University of Ibadan.

In the 1970s, the face of cults in Nigerian higher institutions of learning started changing its cloaks. This was largely due to the derailment from the original ideologies and the establishment of new cult groups who initially started with good intentions but quickly eclipsed to groups capable of conceiving and creating the more endemic menace they first existed to curb. The proscription and criminalisation of cultism and its activities had rather been a hypocritical mockery of itself. The banning has not been followed with matching force, and it has become more of a celebrated horror in society. Cultists are now almost confident and do not mind whose ox is gored. Those at the helms of control and operation of these cults have gotten so fierce that death does not sink their courage.

Body counts are done against warring groups. Like football scores, records of how much one group has attacked the other are kept and prided in like a coveted trophy. No conscience, no remorse, just brutality, cruelty, and unforgiveness. To the cultists, it is either them or the world. A famous public display of cultism is the popular 7/7 celebration, especially the Boogie-Night by the (). Many of them consider this particular day as “Cultist Day,” and it is widely celebrated by their members. As this day approaches, society begins to prepare too, increasing their security consciousness so as not to be caught unaware by eventualities and the aftermath of the cults’ celebrations.

It is not that our present condition is immutable, but we have long slept when the opportunity to nip cult activities in the bud presented itself. Today, cultists now operate like pseudo-social groups in the community. Their activities are no longer restricted to the schools from where they started. They now own and manage parks, markets, and the youth structures in many societies. But then, the question that continues to linger is how we got here as a nation. How did we dig our grave to the point that our youths are gradually falling into it like goats led to a slaughterhouse?

Almost all theories of crime explain why cultism came to be and why it is still festering. More appropriately, the sociological theorists of crime believe that criminal disposition is of a social origin; that is, society pressures individuals to commit a crime. Robert Merton posits that criminal dispositions such as cultism are related to the concept of anomie which ascribes crime to societal structures and expectations. A social order is established in which people are expected to aim at surging these echelons, and failure to succeed in doing this might have psychological fallouts on people. There is a similar causal chain in Nigeria, where cultism seems to be a thing of pride. While society expects individuals to succeed, there is almost zero opportunity to match this expectation. The youths become utterly dejected and seek a way out, either to defend themselves against those who have been affected or to find another means to achieve their goals. Today, many people have joined cultism because they find it to be the easiest and most available escape route.

As a society, we have dug our graves, and we are now reaping the consequences. Our current situation also ridicules our long clench to a communalistic and, especially, moralistic society. In time past, we had societal institutions, values, and norms that helped check wayward activities from the start. However, there has been a breakdown of all this cultural pride – everyone is now for themselves. The Nigerian State and its institutions have failed their people. The police and other law enforcement agencies are no doubt becoming more dangerous to society than they are supposed to protect it. Unjust maltreatment of the people, despite rules and laws, has pushed people to the wall, and almost every agency established to maintain social normalcy is either non-functional or has become a shadow of itself. Cultism has continued to grow in the country, triggered by the lackadaisical attitude and negligence of many institutions of learning, where these cultists have found to be the best place for their mundane activities.

If we must subjugate cultism, we must approach it holistically. To begin, society must be able to revamp itself to eliminate the primary driving force behind cultism. Poverty alleviation must be the major focus of the government, and youth engagement and the creation of employment opportunities must be prioritised. Evidently, cultism has found its way through all strata, and as such, special attention must be given to it. There is also a need to overhaul the reformation of respective government agencies, especially by creating an anti-cultism agency, to put an end to this danger. The officials of this agency would be charged with the exclusive duty of orientation, prevention, and rehabilitation of cultists. Ours is a system that has been compromised from top to bottom, and we need other social institutions like NGOs, religious institutions to weigh in in the struggle to thwart this problem.

In addition, schools must take their duties in loco parentis as seriously as it is described. Cultism, especially those in the community, should be hunted down solely by the police. It is unsafe for civilians like the Onyabos of the Ikorodu part of Lagos State to pursue dangers alone. Maybe when we do this, we can chart a way forward in the war against cultism, cover the grave we dug, and make our society safe once again.

https://punchng.com/with-cultism-we-dug-our-graves/

That journalist is the greatest fool and unpatriotic Nigeria of all time.I don't know what he tried to achieve with that nonsense. Despite the gangsters in US how many times have we watched a documentary about it? South America has the worst cultism especially Brazil, Columbia and Argentina, but they can never be so foolish to make such documentary.. Very foolish guy..In any case,guys pls don't join cult o,its all evil.

helinues:


Wale portable? The name sounds familiar..

More like I was in the midst of devil. I was closed to all group. Before or after operation, I dey always have knowledge.

Back then, it took lots of courage not to belong or be the victim. Guys don chop ground gan oo

Were you in Akoka.....?

Help2020:

That journalist is the greatest fool and unpatriotic Nigeria of all time.I don't know what he tried to achieve with that nonsense. Despite the gangsters in US how many times have we watched a documentary about it? South America has the worst cultism especially Brazil, Columbia and Argentina, but they can never be so foolish to make such documentary.. Very foolish guy..In any case,guys pls don't join cult o,its all evil.

Must we continue to live as animals.....

helinues:


Cultism back then was the beginning of activism in Nigeria campus. They weren't violent back then like this new generation who are in haste.

Seh Yele no be men?

Woke Soyinka's Cultism was still rebellious

It was just not Violent yet

Omooba77:


Must we continue to live as animals.....

What do you mean by that?

christistruth01:



Woke Soyinka's Cultism was still rebellious

It was just not Violent yet

It was more like resistance group within campus cos some school policies were reviewed after their emergence.

Omooba77:

Were you in Akoka.....?

No but was a bit on street then, most notorious cultists back then are known across the region

Lasu, Unilag, OSU, Mapoly, Poly Ede, FCE Osiele, Uni Ilorin, there is one polytechnic in Oyo, I have forgotten the name, they were all notorious teritiary institutions across the region.

I know Sugar, Sugar know me, I know his story from being a handsome gentle guy to the last known story. Not a supporter, a fan or member, just a guy he knew when he was still innocent. Then when they used to attack Sugar, na our house him dey run to with Hans. na Danku ( only those who sabi) side , the reprisal dey originate which na my side. Head to toe about plans, none of my business.

You see why I say ground don chop so many guys.

Bad person to some people, can also be good person to other people. When it comes to leadershi p, decorum, Executing plans, respect.

Rip Sugar..

helinues:


Cultism back then was the beginning of activism in Nigeria campus. They weren't violent back then like this new generation who are in haste.

Seh Yele no be men?

It was cowardly and idiotic to use cultism as a platform for activism. He was confronting civilians like himself and still choose cowardice when we have real men who confronted military regimes without cowering in the cloack of cultism!

helinues:


It was more like resistance group within campus cos some school policies were reviewed after their emergence.

It was the seed out of which Today's Cult Groups grew

helinues:


No but was a bit on street then, most notorious cultists back then are known across the region

Lasu, Unilag, OSU, Mapoly, Poly Ede, FCE Osiele, Uni Ilorin, there is one polytechnic in Oyo, I have forgotten the name, they were all notorious teritiary institutions across the region.

I know Sugar, Sugar know me, I know his story from being a handsome gentle guy to the last known story. Not a supporter, a fan or member, just a guy he knew when he was still innocent. Then when they used to attack Sugar, na our house him dey run to with Hans. na Danku ( only those who sabi) side , the reprisal dey originate which na my side. Head to toe about plans, none of my business.

You see why I say ground don chop so many guys.

Bad person to some people, can also be good person to other people. When it comes to leadershi p, decorum, Executing plans, respect.

Rip Sugar..

Bad parenting and bullying contributed alot... As you known Sugar, I will be calling you bros......

helinues:


It was more like resistance group within campus cos some school policies were reviewed after their emergence.

It was a rebellion not a resistance group

That was why it matured into violent Cultism

Omooba77:


Bad parenting and bullying contributed alot... As you known Sugar, I will be calling you bros......

helinues:


Cultism back then was the beginning of activism in Nigeria campus. They weren't violent back then like this new generation who are in haste.

Seh Yele no be men?

Do not say what you don't know. They tell you it was about activism but it's all bunkum. If it wasn't violent then, it would never have been violent. We all know that any organization be it church, political party, bank, school etc that breaks out of a parent organization, always carry along some elements of that parent organization.

I was privileged to meet the Late Professor Muyiwa Awe ( may God bless his soul) who was among the other fellows that formed the pyrates con. with Wole Soyinka when he was alive. I was little then but still remember what he said that "WE MAY HAVE HAD good intentions but our symbols FROM DAY ONE was evil". That man realized the monster they created in Nigeria and did all he could to preach against it and saved a lot of young people from going astray in the name of cultism. If Soyinka was able to shed his arrogance and partner with him, it would have made a great difference. If Soyinka renounces pc today do you know the number of people that will renounce cultism? A lot of ignorant young people join because "Soyinka belong too".

If I were him, I will dedicate my twilight years trying to eradicate this menace including his pyrates confraternity which he claims to be different even though it is not completely true.