Cultism JSS1 Social Studies Lesson Note

CULTISM 

Cultism is a social crime that is very rampant in our universities polytechnics, mono-technics, colleges of education, secondary schools, and even in streets in urban centers. 

Cultism can be defined as a small group of people who have extreme religious beliefs yet they are not part of a religion. It is also an enclosed organized association or group devoted to the same cause. An enclosed group has an exclusive sacred ideology and a series of rites cantering around them. 

Cultism is a group of people whose activities are carried out in exclusive locations and unusual times or odd hours. They go by different names, mostly for male students but some are for female students. Their activities are often burdened with blood, either at the initiation point or during rival clashes which is a dominant aspect of cultism. During this, many lives are lost, the lives of members and lives of the innocent people. 

It was Nigerian former military president Ibrahim Babangida who coined the name secret cult between 1983 and 1984 before this time they were regarded as members of fraternities. They commit themselves to oath and allegiance which serves as their strong bonds. They are always violent when defending their course. 

Cult groups so far identified in Nigeria are numerous which among others include. 

1. The Sea Dog confraternity (aka Pirates)  
2. Black Axe confraternity  
3. The warlords (Brotherhood of On) 
4. The machetes 
5. K.K.K. 
6. Green cat etc. 

Among the female folks are 

1. Daughters of Medusa, 
2. White Angels 
3. Dirty Virgins, Dirty Bra 
4. Amazons 
5. River Angels 
6. The Sharon’s 
7. Daughters of Eve and Jezebel  
8. Black Queen and Black Bra, etc. 

Membership activities of campus secret cults. Membership can be through application, invitation, or force. The activities of these cults take various destructive forms which include: 

1. Intimidation of fellow students and lecturers for good grades. 
2. Nocturnal or night meetings in odd places like cemeteries, forests, shrines, volleyballs, rooftops, and rivers 
3. Obscure way of dressing 
4. Possession of dangerous instruments such as daggers, knives, hand axes, guns, and other explosive devices 
5. Stealing, thuggery, killing, and gun war 
6. Torture, flogging, stripping to the pants, and making of destructive cult marks on the bodies of new members with red-hot swords during initiations g. Drinking alcohol and smoking hard drugs like cocaine and Indian hemp give them a false appearance 
7. Drinking of human blood, urine, and feces 
8. Chanting incantations 
9. Acid Baptism and killing of target persons 
10. Ceremonial outings are usually late in the evening or the early hours of the morning along guarded routes with an advance search party to ward off nonmembers in their area of operation 
11. Extravagant spending habit with the tendency to get broke and resort to armed robbery 
12. Sexual harassment and indiscriminate raping of female victims 
13. Painting the faces of new members with ashes mixed with urine and baptism of members with intimidating names like Captain Blood, holy witch, Tatum mma, etc. 
14. Severe rules and penalties for violation of their rules 

Why do students join a cult? 

1. Unstable family relationship 
2. When students tide their problems from their parents 
3. Peer groups influence students to join cults following persuasion from their friends who are already members. This is why it is vital to keep the right company of friends at all times 
4. Quest for power- many students want to feel superior and more powerful than other students, therefore they join cult groups to give themselves this false feeling of superiority 
5. Desire for Revenge – students also join cult groups to seek revenge against someone who intimidated or harassed them. They hope by becoming members of rival groups they can take revenge on those who intimidated them. 
6. Search for Recognition and popularity also join cult groups to be recognized as BIG BOYS OR BIG GIRLS by orders and become popular among student communities 
7. Look for protection- students join cult groups in the quest to be protected from being intimidated by others, especially cult members. After joining these cults they soon discover that they are not being protected at all instead, their lives have been kept on the line 
8. Desire for Brotherhood- students join cultism to form part of brotherly relationships, where members pledge their allegiance to love and defend each other. 

Ways to curb cultism 

1. A definite legislation that will give a death sentence to anyone found guilty of cult activities 
2. Moral education to be made compulsory in both primary and secondary schools 
3. Teach cultism as a course in school for students to know the dangers of being involved in cult activities  
4. Parents to understand their children and give them enough time at home 5. Parents to watch the company their children keep.