By Ohen Philip
Fear and panic have gripped families and communities following allegations that a notorious female cult group, Black Diamond, has declared four former students of Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, wanted after they attempted to renounce their membership of the confraternity.
The women — Sandra Otie, Ogun Milly, Onono Oghenero Anita and Iyabo Bako — are said to have gone into hiding after allegedly being marked for elimination by the daredevil cult group, a development that has rekindled public outrage over the persistent menace of cultism and violent extremism within Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
Sources told this newspaper that the nightmare began around February 2015, when Milly, Sandra and Iyabo, who were secondary school classmates, secured provisional admission into the polytechnic.
Shortly after arriving on campus, they reportedly reconnected with acquaintances who allegedly lured them into the Black Diamond confraternity, unknowingly setting them on a dangerous path.
A student of the institution, who identified herself simply as Emmanuella, told our correspondent that tension escalated when the trio began to question the group’s activities, which they allegedly found to be fundamentally opposed to their Christian beliefs.
According to her, repeated attempts by the students to formally renounce their membership were rebuffed, leaving them increasingly fearful for their lives.
Eventually, they allegedly abandoned their studies and fled the campus to undisclosed locations in a desperate bid to escape.
“Angered by their disappearance, members of the Black Diamond confraternity launched a manhunt for them,.
“They stormed their family homes and unleashed terror. During one of such attacks. Milly’s mother was in the process killed”, okEmmanuella revealed
The ordeal of Onono Oghenero Anita reportedly followed a similar but even more harrowing trajectory.
Sources said she was recruited into the group in September 2016, during her first year on campus, at a time she was still trying to settle in and build friendships.
She was allegedly assured that the confraternity was a harmless social and cultural association, with claims that influential figures — including lecturers, politicians and other prominent personalities — were members, assurances that reportedly lowered her guard.
However, insiders said Anita soon discovered a disturbing reality. She allegedly witnessed and experienced violent initiation practices and learned that members routinely assaulted students who resisted recruitment, sometimes threatening or even killing perceived enemies.
Further investigations revealed that the female confraternity allegedly operated in collaboration with a male wing accused of involvement in heinous crimes, including killings and violent attacks on female students, a revelation that reportedly plunged Anita into fear and disillusionment.
Matters reportedly reached a breaking point when she was allegedly ordered to participate in a violent mission to prove her loyalty, with warnings that failure could cost her life.
Sources said she refused and demanded to quit, only to be told that withdrawal was impossible because she had been exposed to the group’s secrets.
Her refusal allegedly triggered a series of brutal reprisals. Anita was reportedly attacked on several occasions and narrowly escaped death during one encounter with armed cultists before managing to flee the campus to her family home.
A family source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said efforts to seek help were allegedly discouraged over fears that the cult group wielded influence within certain security circles.
The situation reportedly worsened when suspected cult members traced her to her home and attempted another attack, forcing her to flee again.
Residents said the attackers wreaked havoc in the neighbourhood, after which the cult group allegedly declared Anita wanted, vowing to kill her wherever she is found.
The unfolding drama has heightened anxiety among parents, students and the wider public over the continued existence of cult groups — particularly female confraternities — and the deadly risks faced by young people who attempt to disengage from them.
Contacted, authorities at the Zone 5 Police Command confirmed awareness of the reports but said preliminary investigations were yet to commence, as calls continue to mount for decisive action to dismantle cult networks and protect vulnerable students across Nigeria’s campuses.
