16th February 2025
By
Godfrey George
From elite private schools to public institutions, gangs operate under various names, enforcing loyalty through violence and fear. In this second part of a two-part investigation, GODFREY GEORGE uncovers the chilling link between bullying and the rise of cult-related activities in schools, the growing death toll, the role of parents and government, and the urgent need to steer these teenage gang members away from a path of destruction early
Henry’s posting to a community secondary school in Bayelsa for his National Youth Service was anything but ideal.
After feigning a terminal illness and pleading to be sent to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he could be close to his fiancée, whom he claimed was his primary caregiver, the National Youth Service Corps instead posted him to Amassoma, a remote riverside community in Bayelsa, to teach Agricultural Science and Technical Drawing.
A graduate of Computer Science from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Henry initially saw the assignment as a great start.
But he quickly learned that his greatest challenge would not be adapting to the new environment but surviving it.
‘ You will regret serving here’
It was the middle of the term when Henry arrived at the school, and the students were already in the middle of their Continuous Assessment Tests. Determined to make up for lost time, he settled in quickly and began covering the syllabus at a fast pace.
“The principal told me that I had to be smart about covering the syllabus because it was already almost the end of the term. So, I was doing everything in my power to catch up, but some boys in SS2 felt I was doing too much.
“Sometimes, they would not rise to greet me like the others when I entered the class. Sometimes, they’d make snide remarks while I was teaching. Two of them even stopped attending my classes, and I would see them loitering outside, looking very rough. I called the attention of another corps member, who told me to just leave them and focus on those willing to learn. That was what I did, but they were not pleased.”
One evening, while Henry was waiting for a motorcycle at a junction, the boys accosted him.
“They warned me sternly to stop ‘stressing them.’ They told me clearly that they would deal with me if I kept pushing them too hard and that I would regret ever being posted there.”
The next day, he reported the incident to one of the school’s deans, who promptly summoned the boys and punished them in his presence.
“They were asked to kneel before me, and they were also ordered to do some manual labour. That did not please them at all,” Henry recalled.
In the days that followed, the boys returned to his classes, pretending as though all was well. But one lonely night, they struck.
“They came to the corpers’ lodge. I didn’t see their faces, but I knew it was them. They dragged me out and beat me up. There were a lot of boys.”
Bloodied and bruised, Henry filed an incident report with his principal and the NYSC. He was granted a few days of leave for his safety, and the police got involved. The school later suspended the boys, but not before they had harassed another corps member, a female, whom they attacked on her way back from the corpers’ fellowship.
“I later learnt from the police that the boys were members of the Iceland Confraternity, and they were notorious for causing trouble in the area.”
Meanwhile, last week, a serving member of the NYSC, identified as Safwan Fade, was beaten to death by hoodlums suspected to be cultists in the Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Fade, serving with the Federal University of Education in Pankshin, was reportedly attacked and beaten to death by the criminals who stormed a local stadium in the locality.
The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, confirmed the incident at the command’s headquarters in Jos on Tuesday.
Adesina announced that two male suspects—one Samuel Dang Kat and Zatshinen Wubwerwe—had been arrested in connection with the attack, which led to the death of the corps member.
‘ Leave my girlfriend alone’
In Delta State, a young teacher identified only as Goodwin (surname withheld) found himself at the receiving end of a brutal assault in 2021, reportedly over a female student.
Several sources close to the matter told our correspondent that the student, a 17-year-old girl, frequently visited the teacher’s house. She cooked for him, did his laundry, and handled some household chores. Some sources alleged that the teacher was in a romantic relationship with the girl, though he vehemently denied this when Sunday PUNCH reached out to him.
Whatever the nature of their relationship, it did not sit well with the girl’s boyfriend, who allegedly belonged to a violent gang.
“They beat him with a machete and a koboko (horsewhip). He had to leave the school. I cannot tell if he was sleeping with the student, but I knew that she was always coming around to help him at home,” a neighbour of the teacher alleged.
When Sunday PUNCH reached out to Goodwin, he insisted that he never ‘touched’ the girl and that the boys who attacked him were known cultists in the area.
“They numbered more than six. They rounded me up and beat me mercilessly. I even had a black eye,” he said, sharing photos of his back, which still bore scars from the machete attack.
“These boys are cultists. I have been saying it. I even told the principal that. They kept hailing themselves and chanting. They are cultists,” he said.
Goodwin said he laid low for some time and eventually left the area, adding that the harassment was too much.
The scourge
In the first part of this report, our correspondent noted that the scourge of cultism, which was once confined to higher institutions, has now filtered down into secondary schools with dangerous consequences.
Many of these groups mimic the structure and activities of university-based confraternities, engaging in brutal initiations, territorial clashes, and violent reprisals. While many schools and government agencies continue to downplay the severity of the problem, reports of student involvement in cult-related violence continue to surface.
In Lagos, a group of secondary school students were arrested in 2022 for attacking a rival group with cutlasses during a school football match. The fight, which started as a dispute over a referee’s decision, quickly escalated into a full-blown gang clash.
In Ogun State, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, in March 2023, arrested 18 teenagers, aged 14 to 17, who were involved in cult initiation rites. These students, drawn from two secondary schools in Abeokuta, were said to have undergone brutal initiation rituals that involved deep incisions on their bodies.
Innocent lives lost
In September 2023, Sagamu, a town in Ogun State, witnessed violent clashes between rival cult groups that resulted in the deaths of 20 individuals, including three secondary school students. These students, uninvolved in cult activities, were caught in the crossfire during the skirmishes. The clashes disrupted academic activities and instilled fear among residents.
In response, the Ogun State government imposed a curfew and launched a manhunt for the perpetrators. The incident underscored the pervasive reach of cultism beyond tertiary institutions into secondary schools, affecting innocent students and the broader community.
Additionally, investigations in December 2021 revealed the establishment of junior confraternities in secondary schools across Abuja and Nasarawa states. These groups, modelled after university cults, were said to be engaged in initiation rites, bullying, and violent confrontations.
Students were coerced into joining, with threats of harm for non-compliance. School authorities, often unaware or ill-equipped to handle such developments, struggled to maintain discipline. The proliferation of these groups highlighted the need for proactive measures, including counselling services, awareness campaigns, and collaboration with security agencies to curb the spread of cultism at the foundational educational level.
Arrest of teenage cultists in Ogun
In March 2023, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps arrested 18 teenagers from two secondary schools in Abeokuta, Ogun State, for engaging in cult-related activities. These students, aged between 14 and 17, were reportedly involved in initiation ceremonies that included making incisions on their bodies.
The arrests followed reports of escalating violence and bullying linked to cultism within the schools. The detained students were handed over to the police for further investigation and possible prosecution. This incident shed light on the increasingly early age at which students are being introduced to cultism and the aggressive recruitment strategies employed by these groups.
Rivers, Bayelsa, Ogun: Hotbeds of cultism
Rivers, Bayelsa, Ogun, Delta, and Edo states have become hotspots for cult-related activities, with secondary schools turning into breeding grounds for future cultists, Sunday Punch investigations revealed
In several reported cases, students have been lured into cult groups with promises of protection and social status. Once initiated, they are often drawn into violent activities, including armed robbery, rape, and inter-cult clashes.
Despite efforts by state governments and security agencies to curb the menace through raids and arrests, the deep-rooted nature of cultism in these regions continues to pose significant challenges to eradication.
*A teenage cultist’s journey
Ipalibo, a teenage cult member now undergoing rehabilitation at an undisclosed location in one of the South-South states, recounted his involvement in the Icelanders confraternity since JSS 2.
He revealed that he had witnessed gruesome crimes, including rape, multiple thefts, arson, and electoral malpractice.
Still in his teenage years, Ipalibo has been forced to grow up fast. His grandmother (name withheld), who is now his guardian, told our correspondent that the boy had traces of hard drugs in his bloodstream.
“I told his mother, who is my daughter, to bring him to me. She has done all she can, and I cannot sit back and watch my only grandson go astray. He (Ipalibo) has promised me that he has changed. I know it is hard because this boy has been through a lot. It is bad influence from friends that has turned him into this. I believe a change of environment will be good for him,” she said.
Lingering threat
In the early hours of Sunday, operatives of the Lagos State Police Command’s Rapid Response Squad arrested two university students suspected to be members of a cult group.
The suspects, identified as Okey Bright, 21, also known as B in Fine Boy, and Daniel Prince, 22, also called Rugged Promotion, were reportedly apprehended around 4:00 a.m. as they returned from an annual confraternity conference at a hotel in Lekki.
The suspects have since been transferred to the Commissioner of Police’s Special Squad for further investigation.
Deaths in Rivers multiple cult clashes
No fewer than 10 people have been reportedly killed following a renewed cult clash in Obelle Community, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Sunday.
The violent incident has triggered panic, forcing many residents to flee for safety. This latest bloodshed comes just days after unidentified gunmen, suspected to be cultists, invaded the community on Wednesday, killing seven people.
Sources told The PUNCH that the renewed violence stems from a battle for supremacy between two notorious cult groups, Deybam and Icelanders, who have resumed hostilities after more than two years of uneasy calm.
Retaliation fuels bloodshed
According to sources, Wednesday’s attack saw members of one cult group killed, prompting their allies to launch a retaliatory attack on Sunday, targeting the relatives of their rivals.
A resident of the community, who identified himself simply as Kingsley, described the chaos.
“On Sunday, cultists clashed in our community. Many people have been killed, including innocent residents. The shooting was intense, and people started fleeing the community. About 19 people have died,” he said.
“In the morning, some cultists came out, shooting and attacking the relatives of those they believed were responsible for Wednesday’s killings. Not long after, the rival group emerged, and both sides engaged in a fierce gun battle. Members of both groups died in the process.”
Community pleads for govt intervention
Terrified residents of Obelle are now calling on the government and security agencies to intervene and restore normalcy.
“We are calling on the government to come to our aid. These cult groups are tearing our community apart. We need the police and the army to step in and stop this madness,” Kingsley pleaded.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident. She linked the clash to a dispute over levies collected from an oil company operating in the area.
“It is a cult clash between loyalists of Naked Wire and Carol. They are fighting over control of levies from an oil company. About 10 of them have been confirmed dead. No arrests have been made yet, but investigations are ongoing,” she stated.
Growing national concern
Security experts have repeatedly warned that many of the young cult members wreaking havoc across the country are recruited from secondary schools.
Renowned security analyst, Mr Jackson Lekan-Ojo, told The PUNCH that secondary schools have become breeding grounds for cult-related activities and gang crimes.
“They always start from their teenage years, and if nothing is done, they graduate to carrying guns and killing people. How do you think Boko Haram starts?” he queried.
“Research has shown that child fighters exist within these violent clusters, fighting alongside terrorists. If child and teenage cultists are not deradicalised and given proper therapy, they will grow into full-blown criminals who will become nearly impossible to control,” he warned.
Spread of cultism in Northern secondary schools
While cultism was once predominantly associated with the southern parts of Nigeria, recent reports indicate its spread to the northern regions. In states like Kano and Kaduna, groups such as Yan Daba and Shagari Boys have been linked to secondary schools, engaging in violent activities and recruitment drives.
The infiltration of cultism into these areas has been attributed to socio-economic factors, peer pressure, and the allure of power and recognition. Efforts to combat this trend include community policing, public enlightenment campaigns, and the implementation of strict disciplinary measures within schools.
A schoolteacher in Kurgwi, Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State, who said he did not want to be named, stated that some students in most schools in the area were members of violent cult groups.
“One accosted me on my farm in Namu, warning me to behave myself. How much is my salary that a small boy like that would insult me? When I brought the case up to my fellow teachers, they warned me to steer clear so I wouldn’t be harmed. I have only been here for two years. I decided to stay after National Service, but now I’m rethinking my decision,” the source said.
Watch out for the bullies
Bullying in Nigerian secondary schools has evolved beyond mere acts of intimidation. Child psychologists have said it has become a gateway to cultism.
Many of the notorious confraternities that now terrorise communities have their roots in seemingly harmless school gangs, where students first experience the power dynamics of oppression.
From cases of extreme bullying to outright cult-related violence, the pattern is clear: unchecked bullying festers into organised gang activities and eventually full-fledged cultism.
A senior developmental psychologist, Usen Essien, said many bullies always love to form gangs so they can protect each other from attacks.
“That is how cultism starts. Before you know it, they will give it a name and establish a set of rules to guide their activities. School administrators and teachers must watch out for bullies banding together and ensure they break that bond and demystify those alliances early,” he said.
The Bovi example: Why parents are worried
Nigerian comedian Bovi recently revealed that he relocated his children abroad primarily due to the culture of bullying in Nigerian schools.
Speaking on the Uncolored podcast, Bovi lamented that bullying had become a norm in many schools, often overlooked by school authorities.
His fears are not unfounded; many children subjected to bullying eventually become gang members, either as victims seeking protection or as aggressors perpetuating the cycle of violence.
Bovi’s concerns highlight a deeper problem within the Nigerian educational system: when bullying is normalised, students either toughen up by joining gangs or remain vulnerable to repeated abuse. Either way, the impact is damaging.
One of the most high-profile cases that exposed the link between bullying and cultism was the tragic death of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni in December 2021.
A student of a popular Lagos school, Sylvester was allegedly tortured by senior students for refusing to join a cult group.
The case reignited discussions on how cultism is gradually taking root in secondary schools.
It also revealed how senior students, who often start as bullies, morph into full-fledged gang leaders who coerce younger students into dangerous activities.
Tom and Jerry: The infamous Rivers State school gang
During this investigation, our correspondent was told of a new cult group emerging in the Niger Delta region.
Named ‘Tom and Jerry’, after the popular American cartoon, it is said to be one of the most notorious school gangs, recruiting both male and female students.
Our correspondent learned that this gang started as a small clique of aggressive students and has grown into a violent school-based cult.
Members are known for extorting lunch money, engaging in fights, and intimidating teachers.
Over time, many members transition into more organised cult groups like the Icelanders and Greenlanders, two other notorious cult groups in the Niger Delta region.
A former member of Tom and Jerry, Pere (surname withheld), revealed that the gang’s initiation process often includes slaps, forced fights, and sometimes forced consumption of alcohol.
“At first, it was just about looking cool and being feared, but before we knew it, people started bringing in weapons. That’s when I knew it was no longer just a school gang,” he recounted.
In 2021, a 16-year-old girl was expelled from a public school in Bayelsa State for leading a gang of teenage girls involved in bullying and extortion.
Known as Madam Viper, she was said to be the leader of the Tom and Jerry group in her school, intimidating female students into either joining their gang or paying weekly protection fees.
Need for urgent intervention
Experts warn that the rise of secondary school cultism is a ticking time bomb that could worsen if not urgently addressed.
The factors fuelling this trend are multi-faceted: lack of parental guidance, peer pressure, exposure to violent subcultures, and, in some cases, community complicity.
Security experts have urged the government to set up anti-cultism task forces in secondary schools and provide whistleblowing channels for students and teachers to report cult-related activities anonymously.
“The issue of cultism in secondary schools is not just a school problem—it is a societal one,” said Olumide Adebayo, a security analyst. “If we don’t act now, these secondary school cultists will grow into full-fledged criminals. Schools need more security, parents need to be more involved, and the government must enforce laws that curb this menace.”
The growing culture of bullying in Nigerian schools, if left unchecked, will continue to fuel the rise of cultism among teenagers, Mrs Mercy Yohan-Dandison (formerly Chepaka), an educator, told Sunday PUNCH.
She said, “School authorities must adopt stricter anti-bullying policies, while parents should monitor behavioural changes in their children.
“Additionally, the government must strengthen security in schools and introduce reformative programmes for students who have already been exposed to cultism.
“What starts as simple bullying often spirals into something much darker. If nothing is done, more lives will be lost, and schools will continue to serve as recruitment grounds for future criminals.”
Cultism and the Nigerian Law
Cultism in Nigeria is legally recognised as a criminal offence, with various laws and regulations in place to curb its spread.
While the government has taken stringent measures against cult-related activities, challenges remain in enforcement, rehabilitation, and addressing the root causes of the problem.
For instance, the Criminal Code Act, which applies to the southern states of Nigeria, criminalises membership in secret societies that promote violence, unlawful assembly and acts that endanger public order.
Similarly, the Penal Code, which governs the northern states, provides punishments for conspiracy and criminal association, which can be applied to cult activities.
Also, the Secret Cults and Similar Activities (Prohibition) Act (1984, 1999, and subsequent amendments), enacted under military rule, was designed to combat the rise of cult-related violence in higher institutions. It prohibits membership in secret cults, their formation, and related criminal activities.
The law prescribes imprisonment of up to five years or fines for individuals found guilty of participating in or aiding cult-related activities.
Anti-cultism laws in Rivers, Lagos, and Ogun
States such as Lagos, Rivers, Edo, Cross River, and Ogun have passed state-specific anti-cultism laws to address the issue at local levels.
The Lagos State Anti-Cultism Law (2021) increased penalties, prescribing 21 years’ imprisonment for convicted cultists and 15 years for individuals found guilty of abetting cultism.
Similarly, the Cross River State Anti-Cultism Law (2002), enacted to curb violent cult activities in the state, imposes 10 years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine for anyone convicted of cultism.
Also, the Terrorism (Prevention) Act (2011, amended 2013) contains some provisions on cultism. Some violent cult groups have been classified under terrorism-related offences due to their criminal activities, including murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping. Under this Act, individuals convicted of acts that constitute terrorism, including violent cult clashes, can face life imprisonment.
Balancing punishment and rehabilitation
While strict laws exist, many argue that focusing solely on punishment, especially for teenage suspects, will not solve the problem.
A Sociologist, Dr Adanna Okorie, advocated some alternatives. She said some states, like Rivers and Bayelsa, have introduced rehabilitation centres where former cultists undergo counselling and vocational training.
She also encouraged state education ministries to implement stricter monitoring in schools and integrate anti-cultism awareness programmes into the curriculum.
Okorie added that a balanced approach should combine strict punishment with preventive education and rehabilitation.
*Governmental, institutional mitigating measures
- In response to the rising tide of cultism in secondary schools, various governmental and non-governmental organisations have initiated measures aimed at curbing the menace.
For instance, the Federal Ministry of Education has launched campaigns against school violence, focusing on educating students, teachers, and parents about the dangers of cultism and bullying.
Collaborations with security agencies aim to monitor and dismantle cult networks within educational institutions.
Recognising the role of the community in combating cultism, initiatives have been launched to involve local leaders, parents, and youth organisations in awareness and prevention programmes.
These programmes emphasise the importance of moral upbringing and the dangers associated with cult involvement.
Diverse challenges
A senior staff member at the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, who did not want to be named because she is not authorised to speak to the press, stated that despite the ministry’s concerted efforts, several challenges hinder the effective eradication of cultism in secondary schools.
She said, “Poverty and unemployment make students susceptible to recruitment, as cults often promise financial rewards and a sense of belonging.”
The official also noted that most public schools were overcrowded, making sufficient supervision difficult and thereby providing a fertile ground for cult activities to thrive unnoticed.
She added, “Students and even teachers often refrain from reporting cult-related incidents due to fear of retaliation, leading to underreporting and unchecked proliferation of these groups.”
PUNCH