By Paul Omoruyi<\/p>\n
From Black Axe to Aiye and De Norsemen to Jurist Confraternities, many Edo
\nYouths have given up their lives and future to these dastardly groups
\nbecause they were (and still are) ill-advised about the heart-wrenching
\nperils that await them.<\/p>\n
The statistics are startling, frightening and breath-taking:<\/p>\n
May 20th, 2015 \u2013 Edo State Police reported \u201cFourteen secondary school
\nstudents arrested for engaging in cultism\u201d<\/p>\n
May 14th, 2015 – Four Edo government officials arrested over cult activities<\/p>\n
May 7th, 2015 – Cult war in Edo claims two mothers – two mothers were
\nkilled when cultists attacked the homes of some of their targets and could
\nnot find them and vented their frustrations on their mothers<\/p>\n
June 17th, 2013 – 20 killed in Edo cult clashes, 10 arrested<\/p>\n
July 2012, Leadership reported that 4 people were killed in 2 days (27
\nJuly 2012), while the Lagos-based newspaper the Guardian reported that 6
\nsuspected cult members were killed (27 July 2012)<\/p>\n
January 2012, media sources reported on the death of 8 people (This Day 6
\nJan 2012; Vanguard 11 Jan. 2012)<\/p>\n
May 2011, Vanguard reported that 18 people were killed (26 May 2011)<\/p>\n
January 2011, Vanguard indicated that 10 people were killed (24 Jan. 2011)<\/p>\n
February 2009, 7 suspected cultists were killed according to Vanguard (23
\nFeb. 2009)<\/p>\n
The list goes on.<\/p>\n
Innocent is dead. Oh, Innocent is dead. It is still unfathomable more than
\na score year later. Innocent was butchered like an animal in bright day
\nlight by rival cult group at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Medical
\nComplex building right in front of his lecture theater. He was a 500-level
\nMedical student. He and I had a special relationship. As one of my senior
\nmentors in high school, he gave me a professorial explanation of why Force
\n= Mass X Acceleration (F=MA).<\/p>\n
Innocent explained F=MA as if he was with Isaac Newton the day the Second
\nLaw of motion equation was formulated. From that moment, I was enthralled
\nby Innocent\u2019s brilliance and wanted to be as academically smart as
\ninnocent!<\/p>\n
How can I forget Innocent? I think I am indebted to him in so many ways
\nbecause his explanation of \u201cForce\u201d spurred my interest in physics and the
\ncareer I finally pursued in life.<\/p>\n
In a million years, I will never have guessed that Innocent will end up
\nbelonging to these good-for-nothing, scum-of-the-earth and dregs of
\nsociety confraternities. What drove this promising smart high school
\nstudent into cultism in the University? Not surprisingly, like some other
\ncultists\u2019 young men, Innocent came from a very decent home.<\/p>\n
The few years I spent within the four walls of UNIBEN in Edo State were
\nsome of the most memorable times in my life. From the day I saw my college
\nadmission examination (JAMB) score through the matriculation ceremony and
\nregistration of first year classes, the euphoria of being a University
\nstudent was indescribable.\u00a0 We were young, ambitious, and passionate to
\nlearn and to make something positive out of our life.<\/p>\n
As a first year student, I was first exposed to the activities of cultism.
\nOccasionally, when there is a beef between the different nocturnal (at
\nleast then they were somewhat nocturnal) cult groups, several students
\nwill be attacked at night in and around the campus. However, during the
\nday, you can hardly tell who belongs to what. Back then, you can have a
\ncultist room-mate for years without knowing. There was some degree of
\n\u201cvicious\u201d civility.<\/p>\n
In a few years, things took a dramatic turn as the different cultist
\ngroups took their recruitments outside the campus to the street to
\ngenerate revenue for their nefarious activities. Illiterates, street
\nhoodlums, \u201cmotor park gangs\u201d hawkers and their likes signed up to join
\nthese groups. All hell was let loose as these new \u201cstreet\u201d members were
\npromised protection against all \u201cenemies\u201d real or imagined.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, if you said hello to these low intelligent new members\u2019 girl
\nfriends, you will be butchered because they belong to a confraternity. You
\ndare not question their actions anymore. If you do, their confraternity\u2019s
\nmembers will snuff the life out of you. They cowardly intimidate members
\nof the society. Yes, they are actually bunch of cowards when you get to
\nknow them one-on-one.<\/p>\n
As years went by, young men (and unfortunately ladies) wanted to go to
\nhigher institutions for the sole purpose of having the opportunity to
\nbelong to these groups. Now, the rest is history.<\/p>\n
While growing up as teenagers in Benin City, our drive for knowledge with
\nthe desire to become productive members of the society was so high that
\nalmost every one of us had nick-names after great inventors, Philosophers,
\nMathematicians, Physicist, Chemist and Economist. We had friends called
\nPythagoras, Archimedes, Awolowo, Chinua Achibe, Faraday and Albert
\nEinstein. What is amazing is that majority of that group ended up as
\nprofessionals in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.<\/p>\n
Young men in Edo State today measure their status and self worth in the
\nsociety by the cult they belong to. They gallivant about despotically like
\nuntouchable king of the jungles wearing various bandannas to indicate
\ntheir cult affiliation. The different violent cult groups now jostle for
\npositions in the State and Local governments to raise their awareness and
\nprofiles. As I have written extensively about, sadly so, there are reports
\nthat many of the cult members are now in the payroll of government
\nofficials. Nothing is hidden under the sun \u2013 in due time, we will know how
\nfunds were being disbursed by Government officials to these groups!<\/p>\n
In the midst of these cultism quagmire, the Edo people (The Benins
\nespecially) unarguably are the most loving, culturally-inclined and
\nwelcoming people that I know. The culture and traditions of the Great
\nBenin Kingdom are unique, family-friendly, peace-loving and
\ncommunity-oriented. Unfortunately, the cultists and their activities have
\ncast the state and her people in bad light.<\/p>\n
It is evident that we have lost a generation of young Edo men and women
\nwhen the golden standard and success reference point for them are motor
\npark hoodlums-turned-cultists who became wealthy by cultic gangsterism. We
\nhave lost a generation of young Edo men and women when they prefer to be
\nused as cult group \u201ccommunity security\u201d (a euphemism for \u201cAgberos\u201d) for
\nthe Government (and others) instead of being a Bank Manager, Entrepreneur,
\nBusiness owner, University Professor, Engineer, Doctor, Pharmacist, et al.<\/p>\n
It is time for all well meaning Edo people from the Traditional to the
\nstate and local government leaders to stop cultists\u2019 threat to the
\ncollective existence of the Edo people by enforcing the laws justly
\nagainst those that are involved in these evil groups.<\/p>\n
Parents, uncles and aunties should use their influence to discourage and
\neducate their young folks before they get sucked into cultism. Like a
\nsuccessful US-based Edo man told me recently, \u201cThe day I know say any of
\nmy brother or sister belongs to this cultism thing; that is the end of
\nanything between me and them\u201d. I fully support that idea. Those in the
\nDiaspora who provide financial support to their young ones at home can
\nalso use their leverage to get the message across.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, my nieces, nephews; second, third and fourth cousins would grow
\nup in a society where cultism will not be cool anymore and a despicable
\nthing of the past. Share your idea on solution to cultists\u2019 activities in
\nEdo State and Nigeria at large. God bless Edo State and may God bless the
\nFederal Republic of Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Paul Omoruyi<\/p>\n