CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The greatest and most embarrassing problem facing tertiary institutions in Nigeria today is the renewal of the menace and aggressiveness of cult activities. Obviously, cultism is said to be the mother of crimes in tertiary institutions and this phenomenon has negatively affected the image of our institutions, the learning quality and integrity f the grandaunts According to Ogunade (2002) secret cult is an enclosed organized association of group devoted to the same cause. It is an enclosed group having an exclusive sacred ideology and series of rites cantering around their secret symbols. Cult activities are sometimes laden with blood. It may be the blood of an animal or that of human beings. He claimed that during rival group clashes with the university, colleges, setting blood flows during which many life are last in the process.
Cultism can be defined as a ritual practice by a group of people whose membership admission, policy and initiation formalities as well as their mode of operations are done in secret, negative effects on both members and non members alike (Ajayi, 2015). This project examines effects of secret cults in the Nigerian Universities, Colleges,Polytechnics,in multilayered manner. Thomas (2002) asserted that confraternities operated at no degree of violence when emerged in the 1950’s. unfortunately, they were later high jacked by military governments who were anxious to consolidate their holds on university students who might challenge their authorities. For example virile student unionism was perceived by military authorities as a threat of their power consolidation. Consequently secret cults were used to neutralize student unions and their anti-government activities.
This project will look into the definition of secret cults followed by history of secret cults in the higher institution of learning in Nigeria moreso, the reason why student join secret cults as well as mode of recruitment into secret cults and the menace of cultism and the solution to it. However, attempts to examine the emergence of secret units from perspectives of those changes taking place within and outside the universities will be made. According to Okwu (2006) as at September 2003, 5,000 students and lecturers have die on Nigeria campuses as a result of cult related violent clashes. In 1952, the pirates confraternity also known as Sea lord was formed at the university of Ibadan as a student protest group.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Violence has for long time been part of our political culture since independence started with the crises in the west. Even during the democratic government in the second republic, the military government also gave rise to extreme moral decadence in the society where honor and integrity were no longer virtues to be respected also university administration became autocratic and this encourage cultism which most time were used to settle personal scores, war in the communities that were traditionally fought at the level of the intelligent and scholarship become reduce to fight with stone eye ferocity accompanied by total disregard for the sound city of life. What is even more baling is the callous manner security student use sophisticated weapon of mass destruction among themselves.
These problems are the Lauren of this research work. The paper intends to examine the extent of this menace with a focus of making useful suggestion for better academic communities in nation, the emergence of military rule in Nigeria when power was obtained as a result of violence. Politicians used cult members for reverse and for setting personal scores. Cultism is a social crimes which is very rampant in universities, colleges of education and polytechnics all over the country, it is social menace which is not restricted to only the institution of higher learning but that which is a common phenomenon that characterized the entire society the secondary schools are not le behind. According to Ogunade (2002) cultist activities are something laden with blood. It may be the blood of an animal or that of human beings.
