Cultists have taken over our communities, we are helpless —Lagos residents

SUBAIR MOHAMMED and OLALEKAN OLABULO, in this piece, look at the growing menace of cultism in Lagos communities.

Until a few years ago, cultism was confined to the campuses of higher institutions of learning and their host communities. The situation has since changed drastically in many parts of the country, especially in Lagos State, as almost every community now parades different cult groups which have become a thorn in the flesh of the residents. Apart from the general cult groups, communities now have cult groups that are peculiar to their areas.

Cultism has not just become an all-comers affair but it has also crept into almost every community where secondary schools students have been initiated. Artisans, transport union members and other petty traders in the communities have also been discovered to be members of cult groups.

Saturday Tribune investigations revealed that cult groups like Eiye, Aiye, Alora, Awawa and Vickings hold sway in Lagos State, There are the Awawa Boys in Agege, Iyana Ipaja, Idimu, Ikotun Ogba, Abule Egba and Egbeda, just as there are the Fadeyi Boys in Somolu and Bariga and the One Million Boys in Ajegunle and Apapa, Ilaje and Egun Boys in Ajah, Akala Boys in Mushin and many others in different communities.

The two most dominant cult groups in the state have been discovered to be Eiye and Aiye confraternities. This is not to say that other cult groups are inconsequential. These two groups exist in almost all parts of the state and violent clashes between them, for superiority, have led to series of killings and wanton destruction of properties.

Saturday Tribune also observed that cult members are now taking advantage of clashes among them to rob unsuspecting, innocent members of the public. This was recently witnessed by residents of Lagos Island, Ketu, Ojora, Owode Elelede, Owode Onirin and Ikorodu. Whenever there is a clash between rival cult groups, residents and passers-by are usually attacked and dispossessed of their money, mobile phones and other valuables.

 

How cult boys shut our area down for a week –Community leader

A community leader in Maidon Orile Agilinti area of Ketu who spoke with Saturday Tribune on the condition of anonymity urged the Lagos State government not to continue to treat the issue of cultism with kid gloves. The community leader blamed landlords and other community leaders for the menace of cultism.

He said: “It is more serious than what people think. The major cult groups around here are the Eiye and the Aiye confraternities. They are the overlords in this area. Everybody, including the local police station in this area, cannot handle them. Many of them are children of the mighty, while others have influential people backing them.

“Imagine a situation where the entire community was locked down for almost a week because two cult groups were fighting for superiority. Our children could not go to school for three days because Eiye and Aiye members were fighting. Business activities could not take place. Residents were robbed daily for almost a week with nobody doing anything about it. All these happened because one of the leaders of a cult group was killed. The deceased cult member was a son to an influential woman in the area and he was serving as personal assistant to a powerful politician in Kosofe. Most of these cult guys are backed by their influential parents, politicians and transport unions’ members.

“Before the police intervened, they had turned their activities into nightmare for the people. They had a field day accosting people and robbing them. My brothers and some of his colleagues at a new generation bank were robbed on their staff bus by these cult members. They jumped into their bus with guns and other dangerous weapons and robbed all of them.”

On the membership of the gangs, the community leader said: “In the past, almost all of the cultists were Yoruba but now there are Igbo and even Hausa among them. There are some Hausa boys who were either born here or have stayed for long in Lagos. They have been initiated into these cult groups.”

 

Police are collaborators –High Chief

The head of Otumara community in Lagos Mainland Local Government of Lagos State, High Chief Kehinde Kalejaiye, identified Aiye and Eiye as the two major cult groups constituting a threat to residents of Ebute Metta. He alleged that police officers collaborate with the cultists by protecting and giving them “vital” information.

Narrating how officials of a Lagos police unit allegedly sold him out to cultists, Kalejaiye said: “Cultism is fast eroding the peace in Otumara community. It is disappointing to know that police officers who were meant to check the menace collaborate with cultists to terrorise the people.

“Cultists are not ghosts. They are human beings like us and they live among us in the community. We know them but it has been difficult to bring them to justice for the crimes they have committed because they have some police officers who protect them. Anytime you give information to the police on the nefarious activities of cultists, be sure that they will sell you out. This is not a mere conjecture. It happened to me. This is why people are afraid to give relevant information that could lead to the arrest of cultists and other criminals to the police. People don’t have confidence in the police.”

 

How police sold me out –Informant

The High Chief further went into membership identification. He said: “In Ebute Metta, for instance, there are many cult groups but Eiye confraternity and Aiye are the major groups. We have one of their leaders in Otumara. They walk freely in the community. Not long ago in Otumara, a cultist identified as Jackson killed a young man named Yusuf and fled the community. He is yet to be arrested by the police and his boys still operate and roam freely in the community. Cultists are everywhere in the community. They have their base at Moss Street where they meet in the night.

“Residents live in fear but they dare not complain. Let me share a personal experience: Some time ago, I wrote a petition to the police about the activities of cultists in Otumara and Lagos Mainland Local Government. In the petition, I mentioned the names of some suspected cultists and gave other relevant information on their hideouts and base.

“Expectedly, the police swung into action and made some arrests, including innocent residents. But I was shocked when I learnt that the police had given out the information I made available to them to the cultists.

“They divulged all I had said and written about the cultists in the petition to them. They even gave copies of my petition to them. They told them that they wouldn’t have raided their hideout if I hadn’t lodged a complaint about them. Should this be? This shows the level of complicity between the police and cultists and this is why I said it will be difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate cultism from our communities. With what the police did to me, I have learnt not to trust them. It is now left for the Lagos State government to strengthen the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps to be able to confront the challenge of rising cultism and other related crimes in Lagos communities.”

 

Girls get gang-raped during cult initiation –Crime expert

Celebrated crime expert and journalist, Juliana Francis, blamed the rising increase in the number of cult-related activities in Lagos communities on the glamour that has been associated with membership of the different cult groups.

The crime expert said: “Cultism, tragically, has become glamorised and a fad in the eyes of many young Nigerians. And it is simply because they live flashy lives and throw money around. Cultism is now synonymous with cyber crime, cyber bullying, robbery, gangsterism etc. Most of the young cultists, if not all, are linked to the aforementioned crimes and more. We have so many youths going into it because of peer pressure, because they want to belong and others are simply forced into it.

“Those that try to resist them are often targeted, bullied, maimed or killed.  The old-timers will not give those they are trying to lure into the fold the opportunity of making choices. They just bully and force them into it. Some are even tricked and initiated into it. The old-timers instill fear in the newly-initiated so they do not think of backing out.”

Raising a major concern, Francis disclosed that “these days, girls are now members too. The initiation of the girls is usually by being gang-raped by the male counterparts, leading to STDs, HIV and unwanted pregnancies.”

 

Why law can’t do much –RULAAC

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) also bemoaned the effect of cultism on communities and blamed its rise on many factors.

The executive director of RULAAC, Okechukwu Nwanguma, in an interview with Saturday Tribune, said: “Cultism or gangsterism, like many other youths’ crimes, is caused by a combination of factors. Corruption, which involves diversion of resources meant to provide social amenities and infrastructure, creates poverty and unemployment.

“Most parents don’t have the livelihood to cater to the needs of their children. Children are left to fend for themselves. Many are not in school and engage in menial labour, to eke out a living and are, in the process, exposed to negative influences. Others are idle and influenced by peer pressure and engage in social vices. The ones in school are under peer pressure.

“There is a collapse of moral values. Society no longer emphasise honesty, integrity and hard work. Young people have no role models. They look up to corrupt politicians and others on the fast lane to making quick money by all means. The youths resort to crime, including gangsterism, cultism and other vices as a means of social identity.

“Cultism used to be restricted to tertiary institutions but has now extended to secondary and even primary schools. Even young people who are not in school now form and belong to neighbourhood gangs and compete for power and territorial influence and sometimes engage in other violent crimes.”

The RULAAC boss called for “good governance, quality and affordable education, gainful employment, positive moral values that promote integrity and hard work.” He warned that “unless the society gives to young people what they need to be good and patriotic citizens, unless the society closes the workshop that churns out criminals on a daily basis, there is not much that law enforcement can do.”

 

We won’t spare sell-out officers –Police

Aside from acting tough to eradicate the growing menace, the police are talking tough concerning alleged collaborating officers.

The image maker of the state police command, Muyiwa Adejobi, told Saturday Tribune that an inquiry would be conducted into the allegations of betrayal leveled against some police personnel by community leaders. He acknowledged the rising menace of cultism in the state but gave the reassurance that the police were not relenting in their efforts against those involved.

Adejobi said: “The CP Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, has initiated town hall meetings to incorporate members of the public and stakeholders in the fight against cultism. The command has organised raids of black spots where suspected cultists hide. We have resolved to take the fight to their doorsteps and curtail their activities. We have arrested many and prosecuted them. The command is working with the government and relevant government agencies to get more stringent punishments for cultism.”

On the allegations that police personnel were also members of the cult groups, Adejobi said: “We are not aware that our men are cultists. They are not supposed to be. The police did proper screening on prospective applicants before they were recruited into the Nigeria Police Force based on recommendations from their traditional rulers, local government chairmen and serving officers in the police or the military. So, with these recommendations, we don’t expect to have any cultists or officers of questionable character with criminal records in the force.

“However, the command will not condone such illegal act. With this allegation, the command will beam its searchlight on this allegation and act appropriately. But I am sure our men will not be selling out the members of communities to cultists.”

He, however, advised anybody who has been sold out to cultists or other criminals by police personnel in the course of furnishing them with information to come forward with specific information.

“They need to be specific and assist us with names and facts in order to act and bring to book any erring policeman. The command is resolute in fighting crimes and criminality, especially cultism, to a standstill,” he stated.

The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said the anti-cultism bill passed by the House of Assembly had yet to reach Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent when Saturday Tribune checked with him. A private conversation with a ranking member of the assembly, contradicted him.

The chairman of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Corps (LNSC), Mr Israel Ajao, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, told Saturday Tribune that a personnel of the agency was recently injured by a cultist in Ikorodu in the course of an attempted arrest.

He said: “Recently, one of our officers was injured at Igbogbo Ikorodu but he still arrested the cultist. Some of our achievements in the fight against cultism include synergy with the police in arresting cultists, visits to schools for advocacy on the evils of cultism, synergy with community leaders to get cultists exposed, as well as regular supply of intelligence to the police. We are also calling on parents to give their children sound moral education.”

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