THE THROES OF CULTISM IN EDE POLYTECHNIC
Students of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, are agonizing over cult activities in the institution. They constantly live in fear. The anxious students have called on the management and the Police to address the situation.
In spite of joint efforts to stem the tide, cultism continues to ravage tertiary institutions where some students are initiated into various cult sects. However, for students of the Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State, these are perhaps, difficult time to live on campus or in town as a result of alleged cultism.
Sources at the institution said harassment, bullying, open use of illegal drugs, and display of weapons of mass destruction are the order of the day on campus. Students shared a video where cultists known as Sea Lord Confraternity paraded the campus in their regalia [dress code or cult uniforms].
It was gathered that the cultists had a public parade after their examination in August. They had a walk openly from the school’s main gate to the sport complex, where they had their meeting, to celebrate their last paper/exams on campus.
Some Comments from Students on Campus include:
“The school is no longer secure for us, security agencies should investigate it and bring them to book, so we can have peace here,” the student added".
Another student in the Department of Computer Engineering, who pleaded anonymity, said:
“Last week, one of the cultists attacked me, asking me to remove my cap because it has a touch of the colour of their rival cult group. The most common group here is those with yellow colour, they are very dangerous.”
Asked if the management was aware of their activities, the student said they were aware but seemed indifferent. A student union member also confirmed the activities of the cultists, saying the school was in a sorry state.
A lecturer while condemning the menacing activity, urged security agencies not to handle the issue of cultism in Ede with kid gloves.
He said:” They threaten lecturers, too, it is not just students alone”
“…one of them failed my test, he has since been threatening me because he belongs to one cult group in the school. Same thing happened to a colleague in my office”.
“Not even management can handle them, many of them have influential people backing them".
“The problem is people know them but are afraid to give relevant information that could lead to their arrest because people don’t have confidence in the police.”
“As a father, I will just advise students to desist from cult-related activities, it adds no value. “You dare not cross their path, if you do they will attack you, they are even robbing students of their valuables.”
Another student who equally pleaded anonymity said: “Whenever I see students in touch of yellow, I just distance myself from them because they are deadly".
“No doubt, cultism is in every school but in Ede they did their things covertly before this time. But now, they demonstrate openly. If the police and management fail to take action, a time is coming that different cult groups will clash".
“I am of the opinion that Osun CP should deploy a team of officers to Ede Poly.”
Another student said:
”They are becoming brutal. Just last week, I was attacked on my way home after writing my examination, the cultists in yellow went away with my two phones, I could not report the case at the Student Affairs Unit because I don’t want to put my life at risk.”
But when contacted, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Sola Lawal, laughed off the whole thing.
He said: ” We strongly condemn and decry the unacceptable fallacy propagated by fifth columnists, insinuating out of malicious notion that some cultists were dancing on our campus while the school authority looked the other way. We want to emphatically place it on record that nothing of such happened on our campus at any point in time".
“It is indisputably correct that our institution, under the able leadership of Emmanuel Jekada-led Governing Council, and management, headed by the Rector, Dr. Prince John Taiwo Adekolawole, have zero tolerance for cultism and other social vices of that nature.”
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