An ugly and dangerous trend is gradually firming up in major cities across the country. Young men have formed themselves into vicious cult gangs leaving blood, tears and sorrow in their trail. From Lagos to Port Harcourt, Asaba to Jos and Yenagoa to Umuahia, the story is the same. Stories of violent clashes between rival cult groups have taken a turn for the worse.
Two weeks ago, wicked cult gangs beheaded a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State and killed his wife and two children.
The sons of the devil took their devilish acts to unprecedented height earlier in the week when two students of Abia State University were reportedly beheaded. The heads were then used as goal posts by the daredevil boys.
Last week, we began a series on the dangerous trend with the activities of cult gangs in Rivers State. Plateau and Delta states are in focus this week.
Plateau: Yan-Daba and Yan Sara-Suka hold court
In the tin city of Jos, Plateau State, the two most prominent groups are the Yan-Daba and Yan Sara-Suka. Among the people, these groups are not called cult gangs, but the mode of operation and the pains they leave in their trail are the same as those of cult gangs in the other parts of the country.
Investigations by The Nation revealed that the activities of both Yan-Daba and Yan Sara-Suka are restricted to Jos North Local Government Area of the state, with their main base located along Bauchi road and the Hausa-Muslim dominated areas.
According to sources, the groups’ members are believed to be former mercenaries hired from outside the state to support their kinsmen at the height of the violence that threatened to tear Jos apart, particularly between 2001 and 2011.
They allegedly chose to make Jos their home at the end of their assignment. Said to be between the ages of 10 and 30, the young men were said to have become more powerful than their former masters, a situation which has made it almost impossible for them to be chased out of the area.
A resident of Jos South LGA, Bitrus Mang, said: “These boys that formed these gangs are not natives of Jos. They were brought in at a point by a particular people to fight the indigenes of the state. Now that the fighting is over, the boys have become a burden on their sponsors who have used and dumped them. Now, these boys have refused to return to where they were brought from. They have become uncontrollable and lawless. I expect security agencies to fish out these boys and flush them out of this state because they don’t belong here.”
The gang members, who have no meaningful source of livelihood, have made living in the area tough for the residents, as they engage in all forms of crime to survive.
Their activities, according to a source in the neighbourhood, include raping of teenage girls and petty thefts. Dispossessing hapless residents of their property and kidnapping of young children have become the two common crimes in the area since the groups began their operations.
“To get high, these boys smoke anything, ranging from hemp to every other thing they can lay their hands on,” a source, who wished not to be named, said.
Recently, the State Police Command paraded a suspect, who allegedly kidnapped a three-year-old boy. The State Commissioner of Police, Adekunle Oladunjoye, said the suspect, Umar Isa, lured the toddler at Naraguta village in Jos Metropolis, and took him to Bauchi, from where in demanded for the payment of ransom.
According to the police, Isa was apprehended as he was about to collect the sum of N250, 000 he demanded. The suspect was paraded along with 20 other youths, who were arrested for various offences.
Apart from their criminal activities, the fight for supremacy between the two gangs has led to many battles that often leave innocent victims to suffer untold hardships.
A resident of Yantipa Jos, Sanusi Yahaya, told The Nation that the activities of the two warring gangs brought home to the people of the area the reality of the existence of cult groups. He said: “There was a deadly clash between the Yan-Daba gangsters around the Yan-Tipper Junction on Bauchi road early this year. It was a terrible fight and it surprised many people. The fight started suddenly and we were later told that it was a fight between two rival cult groups. It was at that point that we knew that these boys were really here among us.”
By the time the smoke from gangs’ guns cleared, one person lay dead. His death was said to have led to more fights and reprisal attacks, with more deaths recorded on both sides.
One month after the deadly clash, the residents of Sabon Layi woke up one morning to the gory sight of a lifeless body of another youth, another victim of cult gangs. Just as the people were trying to come to terms with the latest death, another gang member was hacked to death in the Angwan Rogo in Jos North.
Residents have accused local vigilance groups of not doing enough to stem the tide of the ugly trend. According to them, the vigilance groups looked the other way while the gangs continue to terrorise the people.
A resident of the Hausa settlement area in Angwan Rogo, said: “These boys have taken the laws into their own hands. They are involved in various kinds of criminal activities. You could just wake up in the morning to find out that all the windscreen of the vehicles parked along the streets have been broken. They say they are carrying out their ritual, tagged shara (sweeping in Hausa language). For the people, every day is a nightmare.”
The resident said it is worrisome that despite the overt display of lawlessness by the gang members, nobody has taken any action to stop them. Findings also revealed that the gangs have made areas like Nasarawa, Anguwan Rogo, Yan Tipper, Sabon Layi and Rikkos, all in Jos North LGA, their operational base.
It was also revealed that the activities of local politicians, who provide covers for members of the gangs, have made the job of the security agencies difficult. “These politicians make it hard for security agencies to track these boys down. It is because they work for them,” a source claimed.
The source also accused the Plateau State government of inaction on the activities of cult gangs in the state. A resident, Jacob Attang, said: “Governor Lalong is not doing enough to tame these boys. That is the main reason why they are growing in powers and are boasting that they are powerful. At the beginning, I thought the governor was too busy because of other state matters. But we need to draw his attention to this because these gangs have already constituted themselves into terror groups and they should be declared enemies of the state.”
Another resident of Jos North, Alhaji Zekeri Baba, said: “The youth engage in this kind of attitude because they are jobless. I want to plead with the government to create jobs for these youths. They steal to survive because they don’t have any means of livelihood.”
Delta: The fear of gangs…
For many communities in Delta State, peace has taken flight, leaving hapless residents at the mercy of merciless cult groups. In most communities, bands of marauding youths act as lords, holding the residents by the jugular.
The activities of the cult groups have reached unprecedented and dangerous heights in the state, with the gangs collecting ransoms, raping innocent girls, killing, maiming and imposing illegal levies and tolls on the hapless residents.
But more worrisome for the people is the fact that security agencies in the state seem helpless in the face of the daring exploits of the vicious gangs. And expectedly, the deadly activities of the cult gangs have taken a huge toll on the socio-economic activities in Asaba and other major towns in the state.
For most of the residents of these towns, the approach of dark is greeted with trepidations. Workers now rush back into the safety of their homes at the close of each day’s work, and fear to venture out until day break.
According to findings by The Nation, being a member of a cult group has become more attractive to most youths in the state than seeking a legal way to earn a living. Also, one important feature of the groups is that they are populated by artisans, commercial motorcyclists and secondary school students.
Though most of the groups have names that are similar to those cult groups in tertiary institutions, but they have no semblance to the goals espoused by them, except in their deadly activities. Some of the major cult groups in Delta State include White Ladder, Aiye, Viking , Black Axe, Pyrates and a host of others.
Unfortunately, with their easy access to sophisticated weapons with which they carry out dastardly acts, many of the cult groups have morphed into kidnap and armed robbery gangs, terrorising and making life difficult for the people. As a self-help measure, many communities have taken matters into their hands, organising themselves into vigilance groups and organising peaceful protests to call attention to their plight.
Recently, scores of youths from Okirighwre community, Sapele L.G.A took their protest to the state Ministry of Justice in Asaba, where they lodged their complaints on the activities of the White Ladder cult group, and alleged a collusion between the group and officials of the state Ministry of Justice.
The protesting youths blamed the White Ladder cult group for the numerous cases of murders, arson and kidnapping in the area since 2009.
The protesting youths urged the office of the Department of Public Prosecution to release the case-file of one Sunday Okoro, a.k.a GI. The youth asked that Okoro, with charge number MS193C, stand trial for his crime.
They feared that the delay in processing the case file by the DPP may lead to the case being struck out at the Federal High Court for lack of diligent prosecution.
It will be recalled that the group also led a similar protest to the state Ministry of Justice in August 2015.
The leader of the protesters, Gabriel Omofeye, accused a top PDP chieftain and lawmaker of shielding the ring leader of the cult group in Sapele LGA.
He said: The three boys that committed the same crime with Sunday Okoro are presently in Sapele Prisons, with charge number MS 193C. The magistrate struck out Sunday Okoro’s case and remanded his three accomplices in Sapele Prisons. It is with the same charge sheet that they were arraigned before the court. The magistrate struck out the case for failure of the state prosecutor to be present in court on three occasions, after which the case against Sunday Okoro was struck out.
“We are appealing to the DPP because there is rumour that N5 million has been given to the officials of the Ministry of Justice by the accused person .We want the officials to exonerate themselves by bringing the case-file. The Federal High Court wants the case-file, but the DPP is wasting time. Our lives would be in grave danger if these boys are granted bail.”
However, the Director of Public Prosecution, (DPP), who spoke through an unnamed official, denied the allegation that the office of the DPP received a bribe of N5 million, promising that the allegation will be investigated.
Omofeye said the community has not known peace since 2009 as a result of the activities of the White Ladder cult group, and accused some politicians in the state of being behind the cult groups, who he said worked for them during the elections.
Agboroki Agboroh William had a nasty experience in the hands of the cult group after he returned home from a long trip to Ghana. On his return, William was approached with an offer to join the group. But his refusal to join earned him an ultimatum from the cult group to leave town.
“I have been away in Ghana. I returned home on 4th of February to renew my passport and return to my base. But I was approached by the cultists who asked me to join their gang or leave town. But I exceeded the ultimatum, and the cultists, numbering over 10, attacked me with bottles and knives, shooting sporadically to scare away people.
“I was left for dead, but a Good Samaritan saved my life. I only regained consciousness in the hospital. They also stole a lot of my properties. The two fingers on my left hand are now paralysed. This led to the arrest of three cultists who are now remanded at Sapele Prisons. But they are threatening to come after me, boasting that a no case submission would be entered by the office of DPP.”
An alleged ringleader of Aiye cult group, Mamus Udouphori, who was paraded by the police recently, admitted to being a cultist. Mamus Udouphori and his gang members were arrested on their way to Oghara community to attend the matriculation of Otefe Polytechnic.
Speaking on the mode of operation of the group, Oduophori said his group often engages in robbery operations in their bid to raise finances to buy weapons and to also source money to spend on social engagements and celebrate festive occasions.
According to him, “We rob to raise money to purchase guns for robberies and fund our social engagements, like Valentine’s Day celebrations and other big festive occasions. Our trip to Oghara Polytechnic, during which we were arrested, was to recruit new members into our cult group.
“Before we go on any operation, we first rob to get an operational vehicle. We would replace the number plate with new ones and then place our operational weapons inside the car. It is either we are on a mission to dislodge a rival cult group that is encroaching into our territory or going on a robbery raid.”
Despite this unsavoury situation, the Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr. Alkali Baba Usman, in an interview with The Nation, said the police have not relented in the fight against cultism.
“We have taken the war against cultism to their camps. The command has had a diligent clamp down on cult groups in different locations in the state.”
He also listed some of the successes recorded by the command’s special anti-robbery squad (SARS) to include raids on cult hideouts in Oghara, Ethiope West, where 48 cult members were arrested and are already in court.
At Agbor, Ika South, another cult hotbed in the state, Usman said nine cult members have been arraigned in court, noting also that at Jesse community, about 13 members of Sparrow Junior Eye were arrested and are facing the wrath of the law.
Relating the story of the dare-devil attack on police officers at Ibusa,Oshimili North, Usman said: “At Ibusa, cult members engaged a SARS team, threw stones at their Hilux van and in the process damaged the vehicles’ windscreens.”
Usman noted that a follow up on the attack on 1st of November, 2015, by the command led to the arrest of 33 male and two female members of the Supreme Viking Confraternity.
He said 252 cult members have been arrested since the beginning of 2016, with the majority having been prosecuted and convicted.
“The command appreciates the cooperation of well- meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state for quality information, which has helped in stemming the activities of cultists in the state. The command wishes to appreciate the security agencies and the local vigilance groups for their various efforts at curtailing cultism and other violent crimes in the state.”
As a direct response to the menace of cultism in the state, many neighbourhoods in Asaba, the state capital, have formed vigilance groups.
The Vice-Chairman of Asaba Community Policing (ACP) a.k.a Anti-Cult, Azuka Okonji, who spoke to The Nation, said the cult groups have become dangerous.
Azuka Okonji has an ugly scar on his face as a testimony to the viciousness of the cult groups; a hideous visage with the scar runs down the length of his face terminating where a nostril used to be.
He is pint-sized with thick muscular shoulders and a rough exterior. No one messes with this local crime-buster.
With a gravelly voice, he explains the reason behind the formation of Asaba Vigilance group. According to him, the group was formed 11 years ago following incessant killings within the metropolis, blaming land speculation business which has exacerbated the problem.
He said the attraction into cult groups by youths was mainly for protection or because it was fashionable to do so.
“The problem started about 11 years ago when young men, including vulcanisers, mechanics, skin divers, land speculators and even commercial bus drivers and their conductors began to find it attractive to join cult groups. At that time, a lot of killings took place because of inter-cult rivalries. It got so bad that people dared not step out of their homes after 5pm or 6pm. The cultists looted shops in Asaba metropolis, collecting illegal levies and harassing street traders. All these killed several businesses, so we had to step in to stop the killings.”
Speaking further, Okonji said business owners no longer felt safe, as the cultists engaged in collection of illegal levies and tolls, threatening to maim or kill those who refused to pay up.
He said the elders of the community met and decided to form the anti-cult group, which has metamorphosed into a full- fledged vigilance group.
He noted that the elders selected five non-cultists, including five cultists from the major groups, and made them swear to various oaths before very powerful shrines to renounce cultism and work for the communal good, noting that death awaits anyone that contravenes the oath, adding that truth and wholesomeness were cardinal pillars of the oath taking by members of the vigilance group.
“We got five members each from the various cult groups to renounce cultism and balanced them up with five non-cultists. They all swore to an oath before a powerful shrine in Asaba to lead a morally-wholesome life and pursue justice, no matter whose ox is gored.”
Okonji admitted that though cultism still exists, many of the diehards have either fled to Ghana, Lagos and other far-flung places.
“We have largely succeeded in this task. Many cultists have been arrested, while some fled to Ghana, Lagos and other places. Even though the problem still persists, it is not like it used to be. We work with the police. Many commissioners of police posted to the state quite appreciate our work.”
Like the vigilance groups, ordinary citizens of the state have not been left out of the crusade to rid the state of cultism. Chikelu Arinze is the councillor representing ward 13 Oshimili South L.G.A. Chikelu Arinze had a close shave with death after cult groups attacked him.
According to him, he was lounging with a friend when cult boys, brandishing guns, swooped on them. Recounting his experience, Arinze said: “I was sitting with a friend outside my home in the evening when scores of youths attacked us. They quickly dispersed after dispossessing us of some of our valuables. We were lucky to survive the attack with only minor losses.”
He lamented that cult-related activities were scaring business owners from settling down in the neighbourhood.
“Before now, our people lived at the mercy of cult members who terrorised us every day. In the morning, you see them roaming the streets in their numbers. It was a common sight to see people running helter-skelter. The cultists committed all sorts of crimes, stealing handsets and robbing shop owners. This has hindered the growth of business activities in this area. Do you know that if you tell a commercial tricycle operator to take you to this area at 7.00p m, you would probably be told, no.”
He noted that part of his campaign promise is to drive cultists from his community, adding that there has been some success in the last four months following the installation of CCTV at strategic locations in some parts of the community.
H e said: “Although the police post in the community is understaffed, but we have a good relation between the police and vigilance groups. We have empowered the vigilance groups by providing them with a patrol vehicle, communication equipment and other tools to secure the area.”
Hon Arinze said cult groups were made attractive to young men because of unemployment, urging government to provide jobs for the youth to make crime less attractive. He also appealed to religious bodies to assist in creating skill acquisition centres for the youth.
