•Cultism, drug abuse on rampage, Kubwa, Karu, Gwagwalada, Metro schools take the lead
From Fred Itua, Abuja
Black and White is a government-owned secondary school, opposite General Hospital, Phase 4, Kubwa, Abuja. Its original name is Government Secondary School. But folks within the neighbourhood refer to it as Black and White. This is because its uniform is black and white.
Some Abuja schools, government and private, are notorious cultism and open abuse of hard drugs. There is seldom any school day that students are not involved in clashes, using deadly weapons. One such school (name withheld is in Phase 4, Kubwa, Abuja. Residents of the neighbourhood are daily tormented by violent activities of cultists in the school.
The school is not alone. About five kilometres away in FO1, Bwari Area Council, another junior secondary school has become a breeding ground for cultists. The school has a bad reputation as a hamlet for cultism.
Across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stories abound about activities of cultism in government-owned secondary schools. For now, primary schools appear to be insulated. Red Skin, the junior frat to the Pirate Confraternity and Black Skull, the junior boys for Black Axe are the two most popular cult groups in Abuja secondary schools. Aro and Egede are also popular.
Girls in these schools are not left out. Black Bra, Red Bra, Daughters of Jezebel and White Angel give girls the platform to ply their notorious trade as deadly cultists. There appears to be a strong connection between these secondary school cults and the fraternity in tertiary institutions around the environment.
A worried resident quipped: “You don’t need to attend any university or poly to see frats, even in your area, boys are everywhere. Everyone wants to feel among.
“The process of beating involved in the orientation could be very brutal. Aside from that, refusal to join has dire consequences. This has further entrenched the culture of bullying and harassment among students.”
In Nyanya are other schools notorious for cult activities. A staff of one the schools, who did not want to be named, described cultism in those schools as alarming:
“Some of the notable groups include Aro baggars or German or Akpa. They even engage in looting of shops without making any effort to conceal their faces. They feel people knowing them will help improve their rating.” In 2020, the immediate past minister of the FCT, Muhammad Bello, raised the alarm. Unfortunately, he didn’t initiate any serious moves to thwart activities of cult groups in secondary schools: “One of the main areas of concern to us is the issue of drug abuse and cultism in our schools.
“We used to know of cults in the 70s at the university level. Now you have cults in primary schools and we wonder how do they even get to go there.”
With the presence of a university in Gwagwalada, cult activities appear to thrive there more. It is a taboo not to see a government secondary school where cultism isn’t plied as a trade by students.
A residents told Daily Sun: “Gwagwalada town is predominantly occupied by low-level civil servants. So, some of their kids attend these public schools. Some parents have complained of how they’ve found dangerous weapons in the rooms of their children, who they believe are cultists.
“Security agents in the area are overwhelmed by the growing situation. These young boys and girls who are just teenagers are not scared of their teachers. When you try to correct them, they threaten you openly.”
Lugbe, another satellite town of Abuja, is having its own share activities of cultism in government-owned secondary schools. Though the development isn’t as deadly as the ones in Kubwa and Gwagwalada, it is however, grappling with its own fair share.
Within the Abuja city centre, Garki, Utako and Jabi appear to be the epicentres of cultism in government-owned secondary schools.
Despite the presence of about 17-security related agencies in Abuja city, activities of these teenage cultists are going on unchallenged.
FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, upon assumption of office in August 2023, unveiled his blueprint. Some of the short-term solutions Wike pledged to tackle include the provision of security, even as he promised to support security agencies to make Abuja the most secure place in Nigeria.
According to him, it was the responsibility of the security agencies to identify the criminals and deal with him, while that of government was to provide the necessary tools and ensure they deliver.