Taiwo Akinlami: Tips on Personal Safety/Self-Protection from Cult Activities (3)

Hello dear young friends, sure you are doing great today. How are you finding your holidays and summer school if you are attending one? I am doing great and excited to be with you this day. Today is an opportunity for you to make meaningful contributions to your present and future. Do not waste it, I charge you.

Today I will continue with our discussion on cultism. Let me begin today by asking you a question. Do you think young people of your age engage in cult activities and the violence which follows? I mean do you think children and young people in primary and secondary schools engage in cult activities? Well, let me announce to you that sadly, primary and secondary school pupils today do engage in cult activities with violence.

In a report titled, ‘Anxiety as cults spring up in primary, secondary schools’ and published in the Vanguard newspaper of May 10, 2012, it was revealed, ‘but it is unfortunate that our primary and secondary schools are veritable grounds for breeding cultists, making one to wonder if we are civilizing in the right way.’ The report further stated, ‘The expulsion of 26 secondary school students for involvement in cult activities in 2002 in Cross River State, the beating of a secondary school typist to death in Eket, Akwa Ibom State in 2004, the killing of one Victor aka ‘papa’, a secondary school student in Oron, Akwa Ibom State in January 2004, the massive initiation of children into more than 150 cult groups identified by the anti-cultism law of Rivers State and the arrest of seven secondary school kingpins in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in 2004, opened our eyes to the rot at the secondary school level in Nigeria.’

If you think the cult activities among the young people only happen in one part of the country, please consider another fact from the report mentioned above: ‘It was reported that kid cultists, consisting of four girls aged between 13 and 15, were arrested at Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.’ On May 29, 2014, the Leadership published a report titled, ‘Alarming Rise of Cultism among School Children,’ where it informed as follows: ‘last month, 26 students of Baptist High School, Gbodofon in Osogbo, Osun State were suspended indefinitely for their alleged involvement in cultism and disruption of academic programmes in the school. Also, some teenagers from two secondary schools were arrested by officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) last year in Ogun State for cult-related activities. We also read in the report that ‘the public relations officer of NSCDC, Kareem Olanrewaju, told journalists in Abeokuta that seven of the students were arrested at Nazareth High School in Imeko-Afon local government area of the state, while 11 were arrested at Lisabi Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, the state capital.’It must be stated that as cult activities increase in public schools, so are they in private schools.

These facts are very real and yet sad. We are dealing with a serious problem here and I must call your attention to this and teach you how to protect yourself from same.

I think I should sign out here. I will begin to share with you next week, the consequences of cultism with you. I am available on this platform for interactions on matters, which concern and will to seek counsel about. I shall be back next week by the grace of God. Do have an INSPIRED day. Stay SMART!

Taiwo Akinlami is a Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, foremost Child Protection Specialist, Consultant to UNICEF, governments, and other leading national and international organisations on Child Protection, Independent Legal and Social Regulatory Expert on Child’s Rights and Responsibilities Issues, Legal Enlightenment & Development Enthusiast, Researcher, Social Empowerment Advocate, Author, Blogger and an accredited facilitator of the British Council School Leadership Program. Website: www.taiwoakinlami.com│Blog: www.taiwoakinlami.wordpress.com│Twitter: @taiwoakinlami