Tag: campus

Rising hip hop artiste and undergraduate of Lagos State University (LASU) was brutally hacked down in March by rival confraternity, Black Axe members. Damoche, a 400 level Banking and Finance undergraduate and suspected SEC member was shot twice in the head and on the left hand with what appeared to be a high caliber weapon. He lay dead for several hours before policemen arrived to take his body away in a pick-up van. Even though the police have been unable to resolve his murder, no fewer than three students have been killed in reprisal attacks over the death of the late artiste.

From the campuses on to the streets

The Nation investigations reveal the ugly manifestations of confraternity wars in Nigeria. Until recently, cult activities were an exclusive feature of Nigerian tertiary institutions. Frequent fracas broke erupted between rival cult groups on university and polytechnic campuses but hardly spilled to the streets.

“It was like an unwritten rule of engagement. Rival cult groups attacked each other on the campuses but no group ventured to launch an attack against a member of another cult group outside the campus. No one dared attack a rival cult member at home. Each cult member’s home was like a hallowed ground, a sanctuary that evoked the respect of all and sundry. That was because we respected the institution of the family. Once when we went to hit (attack) one notorious Eiye (SEC) boy, we met his mother and sisters in his room. We could not drop (kill) him like we planned to but we brushed (beat) him severely. And that was even in his rented apartment outside the school campus,” disclosed Felix, a banker and former ‘butcher’ with the Black Axe confraternity.

It’s a short haul from Felix’s era and the former ‘hitman’ admitted his shock over the metamorphosis of confraternities across the nation’s campuses. Corroborating him, Dele Oje, a former Capone of the Supreme Eiye Confraternity (SEC) acknowledged that confraternities across the country have undergone a ‘radical and very dangerous transmutation.”

“They are no longer secret cults but open or public cults if you like,” said Oje, lamenting the brazenness with which various campus confraternities perpetrate violence and murder far from the confines of the nation’s campuses, on the streets.

There is no gainsaying the campus confraternity war has spilled from the nation’s campuses on to the streets bringing violence and death into the homes of many families across societal divides. In Lagos for instance, erstwhile peaceful neighbourhoods of Bariga, Festac, Ojodu, Mushin, Ojo, Somolu, Okokomaiko, Yaba, Surulere, Lagos Island and Ikorodu have in recent times imploded to fierce clashes between rival cult groups, leading to deaths and destruction of properties worth millions of naira.

Just recently, a band of suspected cult members were reportedly cavorting at a bar close to a canal at a section of the Alaba International Market when a gang of a rival confraternity invaded the area and opened fire on the group killing five of them in the process.

In Mushin, an enduring confraternity war has replaced the turf battles and armed robbery that characterized the area. At least five persons, among them, a final year Nigerian student who schooled at the North American University Houdegbe, in Benin Republic, were killed in a renewed cult war in the area. The victim, Adeolu Otenaike, 26, left Benin Republic on March 18, 2013 to celebrate the purchase of a car with his friends. He was reportedly accosted while seeing his friends off, beaten and shot in the head and neck.

One of his friends simply identified as Chinedu who managed to escape, reportedly sustained injuries. The same day, four other persons whose identities were given simply as Martins, Olosa, Fadeyi and Adeyemi were also killed at different spots in Mushin.

Rival cultists in Somolu and Ketu areas of Lagos recently, leaving four persons dead and several others injured. In Ajelogo area of Ketu, Nigeria, it was gathered that suspected members of Eiye confraternity stormed a suspected rival’s home in the wee hours of Monday morning. They flung his nine-month old baby off the bed, dragged him outside and clubbed him to death but not until they had taken turns in raping his wife in front of him.

Seyi’s widow told policemen at the station that there had been threats on her husband’s life by the cultists, who accused him of being an informant to another cult group, Black Axe confraternity.

In neighbourhoods of Ijoko and Sango Ota, Ogun State, frequent skirmishes between cult groups have resulted in deaths and violence, casting a veil of panic across the border township. The inclusion of street urchins, commercial bus and motorcycle drivers, according to Biodun Gbolagade a.k.a Simple, a bar operator and Buccaneer, “has worsened everything.”

Gbolagade bemoaned the inclusion of motor park urchins into the various confraternities, particularly the Buccaneer, SEC and Black Axe groups, as a worrisome development. “These hoodlums that they are blending (initiating) lack proper orientation. Consequently, they conduct themselves like ordinary hoodlums that they are, maiming and killing each other and innocent members of the public at the slightest provocation,” lamented Gbolagade.

Indeed, street urchins and members of transport unions in the areas openly display their membership of cult groups. It is no longer a strange sight to see commercial motorcycle operators known as Okada riders, display the colours of the various cult groups that they belong to. Those claiming membership of SEC display blue the colour, Buccaneer, yellow colour and the Black Axe’s black colour. On several occasions, clashes erupt over non-members allegedly donning colours perceived as symbols of a particular cult group.

A new manifestation of the confraternity ogre reposes in cultists’ deployment as mercenaries and land grabbers by influential members of the public. In rural areas of Itele, Iyana Ipaja, Ogijo and Igbo Olomu, land merchants frequently employ cultists as ajagungbales, land grabbers or mercenaries over land matters.

The confraternity wars rocking the streets of Lagos and Ogun State are reminiscent of the mayhem that characterized the country’s Niger Delta region. Although the violence was initially targeted at foreign oil companies, their expatriates and the security agents stationed there. The guns soon turned inward as open battles erupted on the streets of Rivers. The violence rooted in rivalry among local cult gangs, was aggravated by the latter’s affiliation with politicians employing them as private militias during state and federal elections according to human rights activists, former gang members and aid workers in the region.

The bloodshed extended to the creeks in the region; in Ogbogoro, skirmishes between rival gangs were so intense in August 2007 that the council of traditional rulers felt compelled to act. Two cults, fighting over political turf and illegal oil extraction rights, terrorized the communities. Unnerved by the spate of violence, the community chiefs met to announce an ultimatum that all cult members should leave or risk being arrested by the community vigilante groups. The vigilantes rounded up a few members as deterrents and were planning to turn them over to the military. But while a community meeting commenced in the town hall in early September, dozens of young men on motorcycles, wielding machine guns and grenade launchers overran the meeting. Two traditional rulers were shot dead and their bodies dumped on a weedy river bank.

 

Psychology of a ‘frat man’

Nosike Oguenyi, 42, claimed he joined the Supreme Vikings Confraternity (SVC) in order to actualize his dream of becoming a ‘strong man’ and “very rugged soul” on his school campus. The graduate of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) stated that he couldn’t endure life as a minion on campus. “I was from a rich and privileged background but I suffered persistent ridicule and abuse from frat men (cultists). They ordered me up from my seat in the canteen in the presence of a girl I had taken out on a date. I felt very ashamed and worthless as the girl later left me for the leader of the confraternity,” said Oguenyi, adding that he was forced to join the Black Axe in protest and as a form of security against his oppressors.

Students are attracted to cult groups for a variety of reasons. Members of contemporary cult groups are between 18 to 22 years old at the time of first contact i.e. the immediate post-high school period though persons as young as 14 years have been known to join. Some young students in cults have experienced very unstable or non-existent family relationship, but they do not constitute the norm. Many smore have experienced varying degrees of communication problems with their parents.

A number of students have known the pains and deprivation of a single-parent home and perhaps for this reason, some have strongly identified with older students who provide a parental image. Some young people who have problem backgrounds and have experienced varying degrees of “failure”. Those people that come from broken homes or have a history of emotional problems and unresolved personal conflicts.

More than anything else, the young people pursuing cults today are involved in search for identity and a quest for spiritual reality that provides clear-cut answers to questions. The chief target of the cults are the children of affluence, these ones may be suffering from identity confusion or identity crisis and they want to be identified with re-known group and so, they are easily carried away by the activities of the cult.

 

In the beginning…

Adewale Rotimi of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife traces the origin of secret cults on Nigerian campuses back to the Pyrates Confraternity, also known as National Association of Sea Dogs, that was founded at the University College, Ibadan (now called the University of Ibadan), in 1953 when the institution was still a satellite campus of the University of London. It has the skull and crossbones as its logo.

The Seadog Confraternity was similar to the numerous fraternities and sororities, which are so ubiquitous in many American universities and colleges both in membership requirements and activities. In the United States, the fraternities and sororities are sometimes called Greek Clubs because of their Greek names and symbols. These Greek clubs promote, among other things, moral uprightness, patriotism, community service and high academic and intellectual standards.

The Pyrates Confraternity at the University College, Ibadan, was formed by the first African Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and a few others popularly known as G7. The original aims of the association were very lofty and noble. They aimed at producing future Nigerian leaders who would be very proud of their African heritage. Thus, the Pyrates Confraternity aimed at abolishing convention. It also wanted to revive the age of chivalry. The confraternity boasted of the cleanest, the brightest and the most politically conscious among the students.

The main objectives of the Seadogs were to fight non-violently but intellectually and effectively, against the imposition of foreign conventions, to revive the age of chivalry and to find a lasting solution to the problems of tribalism and elitism. The outfit of the Seadogs resembled those of the Pyrates of the old. Everything done was healthy, fun and harmless. The original Confraternity did not swear any oath of secrecy, no binding of blood and the identities of members were known to both students and staff. Unfortunately towards the end of the 1960’s, the social, political and educational changes which were occurring in Nigeria began to affect the operations of the confraternities. The first notable departure came in 1968 with the formation of the Eiye Confraternity at the University of Ibadan. Also known as SEC, the Eiye Confraternity had sprung from the “Buccaneers” which also had sprung up from the sea dogs. The major force that led to the formation of new splinter groups from the sea dogs was basically doctrinal. The nascent groups which were formed from the sea dogs regarded the pyrates as rather elitist whose campaigns had outlived their usefulness thus the emergence of protestant groups which sprang up from the Pyrates Confraternity. They included the Black eye, Vikings, Bucaneers, Mafia, dragons, Black Beret to mention a few. The female cults include, Temple of Eden, Black Braziers, Barracudas, Daughters of Jezebel and others. Today in Nigeria, there is hardly any tertiary institution which has not suffered the adverse effects of the activities of secret cults which have been characterized by violence.

 

Recruitment

A very important element in the mode of operation of secret cults is recruitment. Like any other social organization, recruitment must occur so that membership which might be lost through graduation, rustication, or even death, must be replenished. Recruitment exercise is closely tied to the willingness of students to become members of secret cults. Prospective cult members must demonstrate the ability to use weapons, while ability to consume alcohol and use drugs are added advantages. New recruits must also demonstrate some stoic abilities, especially, ability to bear pain.

For the prospective female cultists, wearing of provocative dresses that accentuate natural curves and contours is almost a must. They must also be able to display unusual bravado during altercations with uninitiated female students. Some of the most popular female confraternities are, Black Braziers, Amazons, Jezebels, White pants, just to name a few. A prospective female cultist must be a smoker of marijuana and all brands of cigarettes, she must be able to consume all kinds of alcohol, she must be familiar with and, if possible, possess a pistol or an axe. She must also be rich, bold and have very “big” men friends. To guarantee her acceptance, she must pass the torture test. Being a lesbian is an added advantage. She must also cultivate the habit of wearing jeans. She must possess a wardrobe of weird attires that can make heads turn whenever she passes by.

Students who are sought after by secret cults vary in social backgrounds. They might be children of professors, judges, politicians, senior police officers and so on. The status of their parents in society guarantees them some protection from the claws of law enforcement agents in the event that they get into trouble. Initiation naturally follows recruitment.

 

The initiation

The initiation process commences immediately after new recruits have been thoroughly screened. During an initiation ceremony, the eyes of the initiate are expected to be closed while some incantations are recited. New entrants are subjected to thorough beating as a means of toughening them up and testing their endurance of pain.The new entrants are made to drink some concoctions mixed with blood. Sometimes they are given some tough assignments like raping a very popular female student or a female member of the university staff. For the female cultists, their initiation may include being forced to engage in some immoral activities. Among the Jezebels and Amazons for example, new entrants may be made to undergo six rounds of rigorous intercourse in quick successions. They may also be made to fight with other girls or strong boys. They may also be subjected to thorough flogging. New entrants are expected to move around in groups of four or five as a means of protecting themselves against possible sexual harassment. During the initiation new members are taught to communicate with other members in coded language. Having been recruited and initiated, cult members are expected to engage in many activities, which form parts of the group norm.

 

Violent youth, crooked godfathers

Many political figures openly recruit and arm violent confraternity groups to unleash terror upon their opponents and ordinary members of the public. Scores of civilians have either been killed or injured during clashes involving those gangs during elections and no one has been held to account for sponsoring these gangs.

As Ogaga Ifowodo puts it, “the hierarchical structure betrays the tenets of freedom and democracy that their respective creeds trumpet. Secondly, there is the tendency I can only describe as unbridled machismo, a vaunted masculinity that undergirds the exclusion of female students from membership, a practice at variance with the non-discriminatory, radical egalitarian humanism proclaimed by their manifestoes.”

There is no gainsaying that the various cult groups have deviated from their nobly touted creeds.

The Black Axe for instance, despite its, touted goal of promoting black consciousness and fighting for the dignity of Africans and their freedom from neo-colonialism has deteriorated into self-serving behaviour that is notoriously and brutally violent.

The Buccaneers, SEC, SVC and other confraternities have over time adopted violence as their official policy. The menace of has eaten deep into the polity weaving frat men, university administrators, politicians, and high-level government officials into an intricate underground and dangerous network according to Obinna Anejionu.

There is no doubt that the current spate of armed robbery and kidnapping in the country is a direct offshoot of the derailing of the fraternities, as most of them have extended their tentacles beyond the walls of their institutions into the streets and creeks of the nation.

 

Guns, guns everywhere…

In Nigeria, guns are everywhere. Small arms and light weapons (SALW) has fuelled ethnic disturbances in tertiary institutions and outside it. When there are no battles to fight, these weapons find their way into the hands of robbers who terrorize people on highways and in cities. There, it is relatively easy to obtain the weaponry. For instance, an AK rifle sells at N16, 000.

The preponderance of gun-smuggling routes aggravates the problem. A key gun-smuggling route into Nigeria is the Lagos-Benin coastal axis extending across West Africa as far as Liberia and Sierra Leone. An equally worrisome source of armament is Nigeria’s northern borders with Chad and Niger. Nigerian security agencies claim weaponry from rebel wars have been smuggled into Nigeria over the past decade. They also maintain that these weapons are used by unemployed rebels to rob Nigerians along northeast and central highways in the country.

No doubt, better control of ammunition imports will assist to combat light weapon proliferation. The illicit weapons trade in West Africa is increasingly trans-national and it requires regional and international cooperation and support to combat it. Also, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) must be encouraged to channel their energies into virile students activism, the type that encourages healthy intellectual debate and argument on issues that affect them and the society at large. According to Adewale Rotimi of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, the student union must be incubators of civilized values, decency and cultural larvae. More emphasis must be placed on character building, responsible leadership and citizenship.

It is also hoped that the government will improve the funding of the education sector so that the universities again will return to their former glory where they will remain centres for debate of excellence. For all these to occur, the Nigerian government needs to have a moratorium on education. This will include a very thorough and objective examination of funding, admission policy and the general welfare of students and staff. The sooner these measures are employed, the better for the African continent and the safer Nigeria might be.

Until then, few people in Nigeria will acquire guns legally. The reason is not far-fetched; regulations on gun ownership were stringently revised by Babangida’s administration following a gory ethnic conflict in Northern Nigeria in 1989. The military president revoked gun licenses and enacted laws that made their restoration cumbersome. Now, the only guns available to citizens through a license are double-barrelled shotguns for use in gaming and sports. These must be licensed by the commissioner of police of a state. Then among other requirements, the applicant must be above 18, level-headed and of good character. He or she must have a permanent home address and a verifiable source of income. The level of bureaucracy involved makes acquiring a gun license almost impossible.

As a result, many gun wielders today hardly submit to the scrutiny. One such owner was Alayinde. To survive as a student cultist, he had to be ruthless. To achieve this, he decided to get a gun, a 9mm to be precise; it was sleek, light and frighteningly lethal. Still, it was unable to keep him alive.