THE STREETS ARE DANGEROUS….

So I just finished watching a documentary on a major fraternity in Nigeria called the ‘Black Axe’ and I am just going to share some of my thoughts on the issue of cultism in Nigeria and why I think it needs to be salvaged Immediately.

Fortunately, I attended the University of Benin, which so happens to be the birthplace of some of the top fraternities in Nigeria, namely ‘Black Axe.’ Most of these fraternities started as Neo Black Movement geared towards fighting colonial rule and white oppression.

Unfortunately, most of these groups morphed into dangerous and bloodthirsty brotherly and they’ve spread their tentacles into every sector in the country, which explains the abysmal state of the country.

Living and schooling in Benin as a Jew ( this is a term for non-cultist), was an extreme sport. Even as a jew you needed to know strong men (cultists), for your protection. Most of the cultists were students but there were rumoured lecturers who were involved with these fraternities.

My time in Benin was laced in fear. One had to be very careful. A simple joke could earn you a trip to the afterlife. I once had an encounter with a colleague who belonged to one of these cultists. We were buddies (I assumed), however, one very trivial incident led to a series of threats, but fortunately for me, I had strong backing and the matter died down. We never spoke again after that incident. This was my very first one-on-one encounter with a cultist.

These brotherhoods also terrorized Ekosodin, a little community I lived in back then in Benin. They acted with impunity. There were countless cases of gun violence, robbery, etc. I remember running home one evening after church because I heard cultists were robbing a compound in my street.

During my final week in Uni, there was a cult clash during our final year week. I remember I was sitting on @blezyn laps when the first gunshot went off. We went racing for the safest building. However, that did not perturb us as we were used to these sorts of things. We continued our party only to be interrupted by another gunshot. I had to drag @megpeters home with me.

After uni, I thought my encounter with cultists was over. Lagos was safe but not for too long. Over the last four years in uni Lagos had grown into a hotspot for cultism and thuggery. With a growing number of unemployed youths, Lagos is a disaster waiting to happen.

I have some of these cultists as acquaintances due to the neighbourhood I live in. Most of these young men are uneducated and unemployed. They live off what the streets bring their way and are susceptible to the whims and the caprices of the elite.

The increase in thuggery and cultism in Nigeria is directly related to the dysfunctional political system that is heavily dependent on these young men for their dirty jobs. It is safe to say that these men of the underworld control the political system which makes good reforms impossible as this counters their illicit operations.

A possible solution to cultism in Nigeria?

None I can think of right now. Anything remotely affiliated with our political system is almost impossible to combat. Probably when these fraternities begin to clash with the political elite we will see some change. Asides from that I don't see any way to curb cultism and thuggery in Nigeria.

A possible solution would be to eradicate poverty in Nigeria and provide the Nigerian youths with better opportunities to engage in meaningful work. Most of these young men (and women) are willing to do anything to survive, which makes them easy targets for the dubious elites.

Improve security and uphold the rule of law. We currently have a security problem in Nigeria and it doesn’t help that the law is twisted to suit the interests of the (political) elites who use this cultist to pursue their agendas. I think if the necessary steps are taken most young people will be deterred from pursuing a life of crime.