The Nation Newspaper

Tag: cultism

  • Kogi varsity alumni tackle cultism

    Kogi varsity alumni tackle cultism

    In a bid to tackle the menace of cultism, kidnapping and other social vices blighting the Kogi State University (KSU) Anyigba, the alumni association of the school has embarked on the construction of a multi-million naira Guidance and  Counseling/Information and Communication Technology center that will endear positive change for the students.

    Last week Friday, no less than 13 persons were killed in nearby Idah, as cult groups clashed in the area.

    According to the national president of the univarsity’s alumni, Mr. Obaje Marthias Kelvin, the project when completed will avail the students new opportunities, and complemented by a counseling office which will serve as a  moulding pad for the reformation of the students.

    The president disclosed this during the reunion and fund raising dinner held Monday in lokoja, the state capital.

    He stated that the alumni has worked relentlessly with the student union body to stem the tide of social pervasiveness among the students, adding that they employed a desk officer to attend to the needs of students.

    He said in its effort at bringing about positive change among the students’ population, the alumni under his watch renovated the university main gate, presented certificates of merit to nineteen best graduating students and designed a website to boost performance.

     

  • Campus cultism and educational development

    SIR: As a nation, we know where we are headed, we know where we are. It is however pertinent that we pause, and take stock of various happenings in our institutions of higher learning and the distance we have to go in order to correct certain prevailing situations. Why must we expect a high moral standard from a generation to which we have bequeathed to insecurity, bitterness, hardship, frustration and, worst of all, disunity and corruption? My candid answer to the aforementioned question is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.

    Cultism in our campuses is all about youths rebelling against present conditions. We are all clamouring to know the cause, not truly knowing why it is rebelling. There is a need to go beyond information and understand the cause through inner knowledge.  Youths of our great nation want basic knowledge which will satisfy its idealism and give it the truth not a clouded truth in meaningless word but a truth that can be dynamically proven scientifically. Young people are questioning by their naïve acts, why we have confusion and discrimination in this blessed nation, one chaos after another in the political arena. They do not see our nation growing better after 55 and half years of independence. We are not living in a happy and peaceful nation. More than half of the nation is at war, hungry, imprisoned, or dying. Every day in this country we see and hear stories of divorce, crimes, kidnappings, suicides, insurgency and other tragedies which greatly add to our personal fears and tension. Little wonder, the youths are confused.

    It is, therefore, very unfortunate when the very people who help the larger society keep to the straight path become enamored with those traits they condemn and rule against. In Nigeria today, cultism has become a very serious and endemic problem which is capable of crippling the entire generation of the nation’s youth and thus frustrating the purpose of God for our great nation. It is also worth knowing that, the tag student has nearly become a demeaning pseudonym for armed robbery, hired assassins, murderers or societal scum. All these would not have happened barring the action or inaction of the government, school managements and the larger society. These three together form the lethal triangle that has continued to encourage and support the existence of the monster called campus cultism in our higher educational system.

     

    • Comrade Emma Ogor,

    emmaubec2023@yahoo.com.

  • Cultism: Court jails two Ekiti varsity students

    Cultism: Court jails two Ekiti varsity students

    Two students of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Akintunde Olumide and Oladapo Olaoluwa are to spend the next three years in jail after being found guilty of involvement in cultism.

    The three-year imprisonment verdict was slammed on them by Justice Monisola Abodunde of an Ado Ekiti High Court who held that the prosecution has proved a case of stealing, assault and membership of a secret cult group against the accused beyond every reasonable doubt.

    Police prosecutor, Femi Falade, told the court that the accused committed the offence on July 13, 2013 at a hotel in Iworoko -Ekiti.

    He said that the accused were brought on a three -count-charge of stealing, assault and secret cult.

    Falade said the offence was punishable under Section 355,4(1) of Criminal  Code Laws of Ekiti State 2012 and Secret Cults (Abolition and Prohibition).

    The prosecutor called four witnesses to prove his case, while the defendant counsel, Emmanuel Oluwole, also called three witnesses to prove his case.

    Justice Abodunde said that the accused made a confessional statement as a member of Black Axe Confraternity at the Criminal Investigation Department during interrogation.

    She added that the Police found in their custody, small cutlass, black head warmer, black T-shirt, black trousers during investigation.

    The judge held that the short cutlass cannot be measurable with the one used for agriculture or weeding grass.

    “It is not a tool for education, it is a weapon of danger and indiscriminating, which should not be seen within the school premises,” she added.

    Justice Abodunde said the exhibit recovered from the accused made the case weighty and voluminous.

    She therefore found the accused guilty as charged and convicted them accordingly.

    The judge resolved two of the issues in favour of the accused and used the last count to sentence them to three years imprisonment without any option of fine.

    She added that this would serve as deterrent to other students in higher institutions, to always face their studies and shun secret cult activities.

     

     

  • Shun cultism, UNIUYO VC Warns matriculating students

    Shun cultism, UNIUYO VC Warns matriculating students

    The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Enefiok Essien, has advised the 8,120 matriculating students to live within the dictates of the school’s rules and regulations, warning that management would not hesitate to wield the big stick against non conformists.

    “…You are to submit to duly constituted authorities of the University, to shun cultism and to obey the rules and regulations governing the University,” he warned.

    It was at the 23rd matriculation ceremony of the Institution for the 2015\16 academic year held at the town campus of the University along Ikpa Road, Uyo, the State capital.

    Essien, a Professor of Commercial Law, while declaring the ceremony open, assured the new students that the university as the centre for teaching, research and manpower development was committed to the social contract of training them to become experts in various fields.
    He asked the students to reciprocate by adhering to the norms, values and ethical standards put in place in the University community, as part of the regulatory regime -to check the excesses of students and other members of the institution.

    Besides, Essien, who presided over the first matriculation ceremony since he took seat as the 5th Vice Chancellor of the institution on December 1, 2015, indulged the new students against unruly behaviours under the cover of unionism, saying dialogue remains the best option in dispute resolution.

    “Our target is quality service delivery at all times irrespective of who is involved. We treat you as very important persons and we hope you will never give us cause to treat you otherwise. The management of University of Uyo is prepared to listen and dialogue on all issues affecting you; it maintains an open door policy for such purposes,” he stressed.

     

  • Cultism’s new goalposts

    Hardball would like to posit that today’s man is gradually growing into a pseudo-savage relishing a daily streaming of blood of fellow man. Snuffing the life of a neighbour seems to be fast becoming the pastime of the day. From every corner of the world, from every continent, one race seems to seek to outdo the other in what may be termed an unfolding homicidal agenda.

    Increasingly man loses his innocence; becoming less squeamish about the sanctity of the life of a fellow man. Today’s man seems to love the flow of blood; indeed, seeing the gruesome throes of dying and death may well give him the kicks. And why not, man is daily assailed with the sight, sound and images (including imageries) of death. News these days is 80 per cent sorrow, tears and blood and 20 per cent about all other human concerns.

    If a father is not beheading his son in cold blood for ritual purposes, a son is butchering his grandmother just for the thirst of blood. A 12-year-old walks into a church and opens fire on worshipers; a toddler strays into the road and is crushed by frenzied motorists; and if you think that is overtly gruesome as it were, the lifeless mass of flesh is craziedly squashed and pressed unto tar by even more frenzied drivers while an unfeeling world walks on by as if the mashed jumble pressed into tar were that of a chick.

    Everyday we are fed with pictures of gore and human damnation as concocted by ISIS. Even citizen from the pit of hell would shudder at ISIS’ ingeniously creative executions. It is as if they are singularly minded to wipe out the human race – such fury, such wantonness! Bombs are going off daily in nearly all cities as if the world is full of fiends from the dark pits. People plotting against people they don’t even know and handing them gruesome ends everyday.

    You would wonder why Hardball has suddenly lapsed into a griping philosopher of sort. Well, the news emanating from Abia State University, Uturu (ABSU) has changed the goalpost of cultism as you would find out in a while.

    Last Saturday, as reported, a group of students, who were members of a rival cult group, stormed a hostel near the ABSU campus. They held the hostel spellbound until they found their victims – two 300 level students. They killed them, the report went, beheaded them and mounted their heads as goalposts at the playing ground.

    Talk about shifting goalposts in the bloody art of head-hunting! We knew about rival cult groups hacking or shooting each other and beating a hasty retreat. But to impale the heads of fellow students and make them uprights for a football game is to signal the new audacity of a murderous school cult.

    It also signifies a total collapse of the school’s management if not the state. And what is the response of the state: it sets up a committee to doodle while the bloody animals escape into the bush…

  • Bayelsa engineer floats talent hunt to end cultism

    Bayelsa State has been notorious for cultism. Despite the efforts of the state government in tackling cult-related vices through laws, rival cult wars which usually claim the lives of youths still occur in most parts of the state.

    Engineer Gospel Oboro, who hails from Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, blamed the intractable problems of cultism on lack of deliberate efforts and programmes of the government to engage the youths.

    Oboro said it was unfortunate that sporting facilities, entertainment centres and talent hunt programmes which hitherto used to keep youths busy had vanished from the state. He recently opened an entertainment centre comprising, bar and talent hunt facilities along Azikoro Road Yenagoa.

    He said his new facilities, christened, Renew, was designed to scout for and nurture talents among the youths. He said Renew would produce talents in music, instruments and sports.

    “This place is a fully entertainment centre and it is here to entertain and in the same time produce talents. It will keep the youths busy and diver their attention from criminalities”, he said.

    He added: “We want to produce musicians,instrumentalists and sportsmen and women. We want to bring back our sports”.

    He said the country generally had derailed in the area of youth sustenance and empowerment noting that in their youthful years, the government paid attention to their development. He recalled that there was no problem of cultism during their days as youths because they invested their energy on many noble activities.

    He said: “ Let me use myself as a case study. I was born and brought up in Rivers State when Bayelsa was together with Rivers State. I trained in kick boxing and weight lifting and in those days there was nothing like cultism and other vices because in each area we had different training centres.

    “There were many sports club which discovered and trained talents. We had civic centres and because of that that many talents were developed. But now you will see in the whole of Bayelsa I don’t know whether there is any other sports training place.”

    He insisted that lack of training facilities in the state was the reason behind rising cases of crimes among the youths. He said youths after searching in vain for meaningful areas to invest their energy channel it to readily available unworthy causes.

    “The thing is telling on the youths. Instead of them using their energy to empower and assist others they now use it to fight and intimidate persons that cannot fight.

    “It is so bad that even persons that had managed to train themselves, end up as nuisances for lack of employment and opportunities.

    “But Renew is a place to be. Youths should come around and talk to me because I am very much ready and available to assist them”, he said.

  • Bayelsa engineer floats talent hunt to end cultism

    Bayelsa State has been notorious for cultism. Despite the efforts of the state government in tackling cult-related vices through laws, rival cult wars which usually claim the lives of youths still occur in most parts of the state.

    Engineer Gospel Oboro, who hails from Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, blamed the intractable problems of cultism on lack of deliberate efforts and programmes of the government to engage the youths.

    Oboro said it was unfortunate that sporting facilities, entertainment centres and talent hunt programmes which hitherto used to keep youths busy had vanished from the state. He recently opened an entertainment centre comprising, bar and talent hunt facilities along Azikoro Road Yenagoa.

    He said his new facilities, christened, Renew, was designed to scout for and nurture talents among the youths. He said Renew would produce talents in music, instruments and sports.

    “This place is a fully entertainment centre and it is here to entertain and in the same time produce talents. It will keep the youths busy and diver their attention from criminalities”, he said.

    He added: “We want to produce musicians,instrumentalists and sportsmen and women. We want to bring back our sports”.

    He said the country generally had derailed in the area of youth sustenance and empowerment noting that in their youthful years, the government paid attention to their development. He recalled that there was no problem of cultism during their days as youths because they invested their energy on many noble activities.

  • NURTW chair warns members against cultism

    NURTW chair warns members against cultism

    Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede has warned his members to stay away from cultism, thuggery and other vices.

    The union, he said, would not hesitate to disown any member that engages in illegal acts.

    He denied that being a cultist is a prerequisite for joining the union.

    Agbede described the allegation as “utter rubbish.”

    “Our organisation is a trade union movement affiliated to the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) to organise workers in the road transport sector. We have nothing to do with cultism,” he said

    Agbede said the union would always cooperate with law enforcement agencies to expose undesirable elements.

    “As a law-abiding organisation, we don’t support criminals. We are always willing and ready to make sure that the few bad elements within our group are fished out,” he said.

    Agbede warned that the leadership of any branch where any illegality occurs will be penalised to serve as deterrent to others.

     

  • Cultism: Monarch, police chief seek security measures

    Cultism: Monarch, police chief seek security measures

    The Ayangbunre of Ikorodu town in Lagos East senatorial district, Oba Kabir Adewale Shotobi, has called on relevant security agencies to come to the aid of the embattled town over the activities of cultists in the communities. The traditional ruler made the call on Thursday, during a town hall meeting called to discuss the renewed upsurge in cult killings and other violent acts in the town.

    According to the monarch, many lives had been lost as a result of the activities of the groups, while economic and commercial activities are badly affected. Oba Shotobi regretted that three lives were lost to the incessant cult war during the week and pleaded with the Police and the local Vigilante group, popularly known as Onyabo, not to be overwhelmed by the situation.

    “All I am here to do is to beg the Police and the Onyabo group to come to our aid. We must not allow the situation to overwhelm us. The killings are too much and it must stop. Economic and commercial activities are suffering and the people are looking up to us to come to their aid. I have spoken to the Police bosses and they have assured me that they have not banned Onyabo. The ACP told me his men are still willing to work with Onyabo as a team to stop the cult wars.

    Therefore, I urge all security outfits concerned to brace up and rid Ikorodu of these dangerous element. We want to be able to sleep and close our eyes again. We want peace in Ikorodu,” he said.

    Speaking during the meeting, the Area Commander of Area N Police Command, ACP Y. A Ayoku, thanked the Monarch and the Onyabo group for partnering with the Police on many occasions. He said the collaboration has helped to curb crime in the town. He promised the people that the cult killings would soon be a thing of the past.

    “Very soon, we will nab the perpetrators of the killings. The current situation should not discourage us. Let us continue to fight crime together. I urge all security outfits to operate within the ambit of the law in this fight against violence and crime. W e must come together and work out effective security measures,” he said.

    Present at the meeting were eminent indigenes and residents of the town including religious leaders, traditional chiefs, Community Development Association (CDA) executives, youth leaders, market men and women, as well as representatives of social and political groups.

     

  • Provost warns students against cultism

    Authorities of the Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, have urged new students admitted for the 2015/2016 academic session to shun cultism and other social vices.

    The Provost, Prof Olukoya Ogen, gave the charge during the opening of the 2015/2016 orientation programme for new students. He urged them to comport themselves and act in line with the school’s vision.

    The Provost noted that the institution is known for its high academic standard which it has sustained since inception in 1964.

    Congratulating the freshers on their admission into the college, which is affiliated with three notable institutions in the country, Ogen urged them to be obedient, studious and shun cultism.

    He assured them that the management had made adequate provisions for basic facilities needed for their studies.

    The new students learnt about “Students and Financial Transactions in the College” from the Bursar, Mr. Ganiyu Abdul.

    He educated them about various requirements that would qualify them to be bonafide students of the college like the JAMB certification, payment of tuition fees, and administration of oaths among other things.

    In his address, the Dean, Student of Affairs, Mr Olaniyi Olaluwoye admonished them to jealously protect the good image of the institution and shun vices.

    He said: “I will enjoin you to shun acts that will put you in trouble. Such acts among others are: cultism, drug addiction, examination malpractice, prostitution and other societal vices.”

    Miss Awe Taiwo and Akinkuotu Love, who have been admitted to study Economics and Physics/Mathematics, expressed their enthusiasm at being among the lucky ones admitted into the school.