Nasarawa State University: Some of the repentant cultists are students here

Eighty-nine cultists from five tertiary institutions in Nasarawa State had denounced their membership.

Samuel Ejembi, National Coordinator of National Campus Cult Eradication Foundation (CCEF), disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday in Lafia.

According to him, the group which is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), is working in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force to eradicate and rehabilitate cultism.

He said that the cultists were students from the Federal University, Lafia (FUL); Nasarawa State Polytechnic, Lafia (NSPL), College of Agriculture, Lafia (COAL), College of Education, Akwanga (COEA) and the Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), respectively.

He said that, “eight of the cultists are from FUL, 43 from NAPL; eight from COAL, 15 from COEA and 23 are from NSUK.”

He said that with the support of the Inspector General of Police (IG), the group recently denounced 53cultists from different cult groups across various tertiary institutions in Benue State.

“Since inception in 2011, this NGO had helped and rehabilitated 12,000cultists from various tertiary institutions in Nigeria,” he said.

Responding, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Sani Muhammed in charge of Training, said the leaders of the NGO were former cult-members who denounced their membership voluntarily.

Muhammed who is the Assistant Grand Patron of the group, said the police was supporting the group to eradicate and rehabilitate ex-cults and encourage them to have a new lease of life.

He advised members of the public, especially, the youths to desist from cult activities, saying it could prevent them from being recruited into the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Speaking to newsmen, Kingsley Samuel, one of the cult- members who denounced his membership, said he was a member of `Via-Kings’ cult.

He said that he joined the group from his secondary school through the influence of his friends but had regretted all that he had done.

Samuel, therefore, advised youths who were still in one cult or another to denounce their membership before it is too late.

He said that there was no gain in it. (NAN)