The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has launched what it calls an anti-cultism sensitisation campaign, targeting secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State, as concerns grow over the rise of secret cult activities among teenagers in the state.
Key Highlights:
- The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) launched an anti-cultism campaign in secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.
- Students in schools across Uyo and Itu LGA signed pledge forms rejecting cult membership.
- The campaign included awareness talks, educational materials, certificates, and symbolic commitments from students.
- Officials described cultism as a growing threat linked to violence, crime, intimidation, and disruption of education.
- Educators warned about peer pressure and covert recruitment tactics allegedly used by cult groups targeting teenagers.
Students of Community Secondary School, Aka Offot, Uyo, Itam Secondary School in Itu Local Government Area, and Uyo High School were made to sign pledge forms committing to stay away from cult-related groups during the programme held in Uyo on Friday.
The exercise, organised in collaboration with Bamor Fountains Limited, also saw students handed books, T-shirts and certificates after signing undertakings to reject cult membership.
Officials of the NDDC’s alternative dispute resolution office, said the campaign is part of broader efforts to curb youth involvement in violent groups across the Niger Delta, insisting the intervention is tied to the agency’s wider mandate on education, peace-building and social development.
But beneath the public relations tone of the event, stakeholders acknowledged the worsening reality in schools.
Speaking at the programme, a representative of the NDDC directorate warned that cultism has become a growing threat in secondary schools, describing it as a pipeline to violence, criminal behaviour and academic disruption.
Security educators at the event also cautioned students against peer pressure and recruitment tactics allegedly used by cult groups to lure minors into membership, urging pupils to report intimidation attempts to parents, teachers or security agencies.
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The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education, represented at the event, commended the initiative, but repeated the usual calls for students to “stay focused,” a familiar line in a state where school-based violence has repeatedly raised concerns.
Resource persons at the sensitisation programme also claimed cult groups use subtle recruitment strategies targeting vulnerable students, warning that early exposure often leads to long-term entanglement in criminal networks.
School principals present described the intervention as timely, though questions persist about how far such campaigns can go in addressing the deeper structural drivers of youth violence, including unemployment, weak school security systems, and limited enforcement against campus-linked gangs.
Despite the signing of pledge forms and distribution of campaign materials, critics argue that Nigeria’s recurring anti-cultism drives often prioritise symbolism over sustained intervention, with little measurable follow-up after such school engagements conclude.
