The President of One Love Foundation, a human rights organisation, Chief (Dr) Patrick Eholor has said that the reason for mindless killings among secret cult groups and members is because, instead of taking proactive steps to end it, leaders are recruiting cultists to help them fight their enemies.
Eholor while speaking to Jungle-Journalist.Com in an interview, said the original purpose behind secret societies in the past was to develop a society of equal rights and justice, and peace.
He said in Europe, America and even Africa, cults existed to pass on privileged knowledge to members of the society in order to make it better, and only the intellectuals and gifted were allowed to be members, because they can be trusted to protect the people with what they have gained from their organisations.
He however said that purpose has long being defeated, as modern cults are founded to oppress, intimidate and even eliminate perceived enemies, as well as engage in mind–boggling criminal activities.
His also said “The spate of secret cult killings that has been going on in Nigeria, especially in Edo State is frightening. We are fast losing our youths to senseless and dishonourable deaths. Its as if we are at war, and most mothers are fast losing their young male children whom they nurtured in love to become responsible in the society.
“I don’t want to commend or condemn them, everybody has a right to Association or club membership. But the issue is that, the killing is out of hand. These are people’s children, our children. If its not hitting us directly, it’s hitting us indirectly. It’s not good fot the economy of the state, its not good for our image and its certainly bad in the face of tourism.
“That’s why am really voicing out to the people of Edo, to the government, to the police, to every security outfit to see how it can be nipped in the bud.
“It’s very sad that those who should have resolved these issues are part of the problem. Whether in the police force, in the government circle, a lot of them who are high and mighty are members of thees cult groups. I know some of them and they know me too. So I am not here to say they don’t have a right to belong where they like, but what disturbs me is that, because of their elitist status, if they want to resolve this, they would have done that long ago. Cultism in those days was easy to manage because they were confraternities in schools who braced up to reject certain policies of lecturers or the school authorities. That’s why it was efficient then and there was unity.
“But now, it’s in the hands of conductors, drivers and miscreants. Not meaning to disrespect anyone, am not saying they cannot be what they want to be. But what’s disturbing is that the leadership and hierarchy of these cults have lost control. They don’t even know who is a member and who isn’t.
Need for dialogue
“I think what they should do is to come up with a policy and sit on a table with other rival confraternity groups and put a sanction that anybody who go out to kill others should be severely punished. Then you will see that this thing will change.
Cultists among security agents
“The sad thing is that the police who should be the umpires have most of their members as cultists. As a matter of fact, I was on air some days ago and Sunny Duke Okosun the anchorman spoke to the Police PRO. The PRO admitted to us that a sergeant was culpable in this hooliganism and cultism. They had to demote him from his rank to the rank of corporal. He said that we might question why he wasn’t fired, but said that we should be aware that the government has spent a lot of money to train him into a human being. He has a family too. If you dismiss him outrightly, he already knows how to handle guns, and might end up another bandit, armed robber or terrorist.
“The PPRO was on point. So the responsibility boils down to their leaders to reconcile their seemingly irreconcilable differences and end the killings. They can do so if they decide to use their willpower for that.
Parents in trouble
It’s unfortunate that the parents are victims and the children are also victims. This is a new era. Some of these children have been victimised, sodomised, raped, threatened and they have become so weak and vulnerable, and the only way they feel they can belong is to join a rival cult. And when they joined, their mother was not there when they signed the death warrant. Their mother is crying everyday, she has lost control. Most of these cultists are animals and even behead people. Anyone who has the mindset to behead anyone is an animal, is uncontrollable. Their parents are also victims and their hands are tied.”
Solutions
“I am not a judge, I am not judging anybody, but whoever takes life senselessly due to cultism has a mother, has a father, have a dream, have sisters, brothers. We are not living in a rat race. I am a moralist, and that is why I talk the way I talk.
That’s why I do what I do. So I am here to appeal to every man and woman to appeal to their conscience to think of the nine months a mother carried her baby, to think about the pains, to think about the pains, and the dreams, and the aspirations of these young men and young women who are dying senselessly.
I again repeat that I am not here to dehumanised the conductors and drivers who are part of cults. But I am here to advice the cults to have what they call the social insurance number, means of identification, and have area commandants who will know where the troubles are starting, and know what to do to ensure that it doesn’t end in violence, that they must stick to what they subscribe to. So instead of killing, they become a watchdog to checkmate crime in our society, and to be their brother’s keeper.
We also talk to the government to enact a very serious law, that if anybody is caught killing or dehumanising people in the name of cultism, then there should be a severe punishment, and if that should stand as a deterrent, I am sure a lot of people will want to respect themselves, and respect the organisation they d belong to.”