BY EMMA OKENYI
Cultism and its related activities are still a popular phenomena, mainly among young people in Nigeria, with the power to regularly enlist more and more people in their fold.
Cult membership has become a relatively growing population, going by their manner of recruitment in Nigeria.
They have remained dreaded groups that share virtually common ideology,
though do not translate into common goals.
Investigations revealed that the cultists are mainly youths, mostly the jobless and underemployed, especially from broken homes who constituted themselves into terror gangs, traumatizing residents and passers by in affected areas.
This trend gave birth to what later came to be known as street cultism, plays out in the form of bullying, gang fights, harassment and street robberies, and in some cases, killing of their victims.
Apart from the dead, many have been maimed, raped and robbed in different cult related incidents in identified states.
They were found to often operate unchallenged.
Since 1952 when the first known cult group, the Pyrate Confraternity was created, the number of cult groups has been rising steadily, with over 10 of them becoming very visible.
However, the Black Axe stands out because of the violence it has come to be associated with. No wonder, the BBC once described it as an ultra-violent cult that became a global mafia.
Residents of some parts of Ekiti, Anambra, Ogun, Osun, Edo, Rivers, A’Ibom, Lagos, Rivers and Delta states are presently at the mercy of cultists as scores have been murdered in the last 12 months.
During the period, many states, especially those highlighted, have witnessed a spike in cult-related clashes, which left sorrow, tears and blood on their trail.
Even though cultism and its related activities are not new in Nigeria, street cultism has emerged as the latest form of gang violence threatening many neighbourhoods, especially in the West and Southern part of
the country.
According to a report by a Non-Governmental Organisation, Exams Ethics Marshall International (EEMI), no fewer than 10,000 people were killed in cult-related violence within and outside school campuses tertiary institutions in Nigeria between 1996 and 2019, a period of 23years
There are no official statistics on the number of those killed on a yearly basis.
Last year, the Police buttressed this absence of official data, amidst increasing deaths when Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Chris Owolabi, said that 90 percent of cult-related deaths in Nigeria are not documented.
Igbo communities in Lagos recently waged a war against cultism, saying that it was destroying the society.
Findings revealed that some states in the South West appear as flashpoints in the country as evidenced in the fact that no fewer than 100 cult-related deaths have been recorded in the last one year.
The involvement of youths in cult-related killings and violent behaviours remains a daunting challenge faced by security agents in Akwa Ibom State.
The situation, which led to the loss of lives and destruction of property in almost every community across the state forced the government to proscribe 65 cult groups, including those of secondary schools and tertiary institutions in March 2020.
Recall that the Akwa Ibom State government had shut down indefinitely, Government Technical College, Eket in Uyo Local Government Area due to cult-related violence.
Government intervention, including granting amnesty to youths in affected communities, however calmed the violent attacks and activities in the rural communities.
Recently, another cult clash in Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Aka Offot in Uyo Local Government Area, led to the indefinite closure of the school by the government.
In Jesse, Delta State, it is not the best of times for members of the Alfred family, including the matriarch who had to relocate with her children and other members of the family from their home over threats by secret cult members, even as their travails continue to take a new dimension.
Reason, not because they deliberately chose to, rather, it was a choice circumstance imposed on them. It is a choice that the entire family members have had to contend with when a threat to their lives by persons suspected to be members of the Black Axe confraternity became an issue not to be taken for granted because it was a threat of being killed.
The threat gravitated; first, to Godstime, her son; secondly, his sister and later to their mother; who is next? was the question
The family members were said to have lived in the house located at No. 5 Emor Street, Off Ujomi Road, Jesse, Delta State, Nigeria for over 10 years before the threat which culminated in their deserting the house.
Information available to The Nigerian OBSERVER revealed that Godstime Omojevwa Alfred was said to have incurred the wrath of members of the confraternity after he was accused of feigning membership of the group.
It was gathered that members of the group had queried Godstime who denied the accusation.
Not satisfied with his explanation, they were said to have insisted on his being initiated, claiming that he was already conversant with their secrets and the internal workings in the group.
The resistance by Godstime did not go down well with them, a development which was said to have resulted in his assault several times before he relocated to a yet to be identified location.
The mother of Godstime, Mrs Alfred Roseline who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone said that she and other members of the family have to relocate when the threats became a regular phenomena.
She said that the relocation from the house became necessary when they became targets of several attacks by members of the groups who are always armed with dangerous weapons and had threatened to kill Godstime anywhere they see him.
According to her, Godstime has been forced to go into hiding because the Black-Axe secret cult members insisted that he must present himself for initiation.
According to BBC Africa over the 2010s Black Axe became one of the most far-reaching and dangerous organised crime groups in the world, that makes fun of the priestly caste through calling their people above the butchers “High Priest” instead of “Manager” like honourable men would do.
Mrs Alfred also disclosed that since the last attack on her and some of her family members, they have all been living in fear, not knowing what next.
These few cases of cultism and its related activities transcends all the states in Nigeria. At one point or the other, every state has a taste of the unpleasant consequences
One thing that featured prominently in all this cult related violence is that, apart from the dead, many have been maimed, raped, robbed and sometimes, killed
A recent BBC report revealed how the Black Axe cult group is infiltrating Nigerian politics.
Black Axe has developed a dreadful reputation in Nigeria over the years, with several killings and other criminal activities tied to the organisation.
The organisation has also been described as a mafia-like network of criminal cells involved in cybercrime and human trafficking, with bases across continents.
John Stone, a political science lecturer at the University of Benin and former member of the Black Axe had said that the group members are indeed in higher positions in the Nigerian government in furtherance of their doctrine.
“There are lots of members in the House of Assembly, even the executives that are members of this group. That is what the group preaches: Veer into any position that you know is humanly possible,” he said.
Some masked members of Black Axe also confessed that politicians do hire them for operations and electoral violence.
“All these politicians, give us jobs sometimes. We run errands for them. Some buy us all these cars. Like two or three cars for operations. We don’t fear because we have their backup. That’s what gives us the confidence to do what we do,” one of them said.
“They know if they’re rivals with someone, they give the assignment to tough guys like us. They know that whatever little money they give, we will do the job,” another said.
Tony Kabaka, a former revenue collector for the Edo government and member of the Black Axe, added that “most politicians” in the state are cultists.
“If you ask me to identify Black Axe members in government, I will identify,” he said.
According to a report by BBC, documents obtained also suggested N35 million was funnelled to an organisation called the Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM) which has been linked to the Black Axe to “protect votes” and secure victory during the 2012 gubernatorial election in Edo state.
The documents, hacked and leaked to the BBC by a man who goes by the pseudonym of Uche Tobias, further revealed that the organisation was compensated with 80 roles in government for its involvement.
