THE SPREAD OF CULTISM IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, THE CAUSES, EFFECT AND SOLUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, EKIADOLOR-BENIN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Cultism can simply be described as a land of gang behaviour that is accepted and value of the larger society and is characterized by oath taking secrecy and violence. Cultism can also be seen as the state of phenomenon where persons are bound together with a common belief usually through some rituals. According to Oxford dictionary of current English 5th edition the word “cult” means a system of religion worship especially one that is expressed in rituals from this definition cults now popularly known as confraternity have assumed a monstrous features in our institutions of higher learning to this end, therefore, our various campuses, which were most have become citadel of violence and terrorism. The pertinent questions that one may ask is the phenomenon of cult just interring our institutions of higher learning, the answer figure have been known to be members of the pirates confraternity in their days in college or universities. Furthermore, when there was violent clashes between Eiye confraternity and the Buccaneer some notable professors and doctors at the institutions were found to be patrons and bankers of these cults. The implications is that these professors and doctors where members of these cults in their own college days. We find and disturbing trend of the proliferation of campuses cult in our institutions of higher learning, such cult are Vikings, the black axe, the morphine, the buccaneer, the pirates, the black arrow to mention but a few have become a familiar features in our institutions.

Additionally, the attention of the government and the society at large is the introduction of violent savagery and terrorism into the present day cut a diametrical contrast to what obtained in yester years it is now common in our campuses that factors of ravel cults violent clashes even in broad day light and fight themselves down with weapons such as guns, and daggers, nocturnal initiation ceremonies in which initiated are animalized and some of them die in the process of making blood covenants and performing other occultist organized opposition against any kind of oppression real or imagined liberal consumption of alcohol use of drugs, intimidation and use of violent extortion, stealing armed robbers,, arson sexual abuse, and rape, examination malpractice, maiming, manslaughter and murder the recent occurrence are the university of Ile-Ife, Benin, Ekpoma, Ibadan and of the course College of Education, Ekiadolor. This is what has led to the public to speaking against the societal evil calling to its total eradication.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The fundamental problems of cultism are the uncertain and unsafe atmosphere in our campuses even to the activities of members of secret cult these manner of operation is both sinister and Bizerte living behind them a trial of what destruction most distressing of the problems is the state of killing in our campuses in recent o=times many lives have been terminated, permanently in spite of measures put in place by the various arms of government and school authorities aimed at combating the ugly trend of cultism, the phenomenon on our campuses has refused to be eradicated. Thus, the researcher intend to make an indebt study into the factors which create the fearful climate that encourage the growth and spread of cultism in our institutions of higher learning with a view to proer solution to the problems.