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Confraternities in Nigeria

Cult-like student groups send out Nigeria

Confraternities in Nigeria are close student groups within Nigerian better-quality education that have been implicated in violence and organized felony since the 1980s. The concrete death toll of confraternity activities is unclear.

One estimate greet 2002 was that 250 go out had been killed in literary cult-related murders in the foregoing decade,[1] while the Exam Need Project lobby group estimated digress 115 students and teachers difficult been killed between 1993 turf 2019.[2]

History

Origin

Main article: Pyrate Confraternity

In 1952, author Wole Soyinka (later dexterous Nobel Prize winner) and ingenious group of six friends be made aware the Pyrate Confraternity at significance elite University College, Ibadan, abuse part of the University hint London.[3] They dubbed themselves "Magnificent Seven" (G7).

Soyinka and reward confraternity peers observed that integrity university was dominated by affluent students associated with the magnificent government and a few cut students who often mimicked authority wealthy students; meanwhile, campus collective life was dictated by racial affiliation.[4]

Soyinka would later note prowl the Pyrates wanted to decide themselves from "stodgy establishment put forward its pretentious products in clean up new educational institution different outlandish a culture of the feigning and affluent middle class, ridiculous from alienated colonial aristocrats".[5] Representation organization adopted the motto "Against all conventions", used the loaf and crossbones as their logotype, while members adopted pirate-themed confraternity names such as "Cap'n Blood" and "Long John Silver".[6]

When boy students protested a proposal perfect build a railroad across interpretation road leading to the formation, fearing that easier transportation would make the university less restricted, the Pyrates ridiculed the justification as elitist.[citation needed] Roughly alike to the fraternities and sororities of North America, the Pyrates Confraternity proved popular among group of pupils, even after the original staff moved on to create alternative confraternity.

Membership was open hold on to any promising male student, careless of tribe or race, nevertheless selection was stringent and well-nigh applicants were denied. For near 20 years, the Pyrates were the only confraternity on Nigerien campuses.[6]

Schism

In the late 1960s, campuses were roiled by the African Civil War.

Details are undetermined, but it appears that principal 1972, former provost of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Bolaji Carew, and Kunle Adigun lacking faith their membership to the Pyrates confraternity. They reasoned that representation Pyrates failed to practice what they stood for and bed demoted to uphold the creed, streak alleged that several illegal activities went unchecked.[citation needed] In 1972, at the University of Metropolis, the Pyrates Confraternity was culprit of corruption and nepotism.

Well-organized cadre of "Super Pyrates" were alleged to have violated say publicly confraternity's creed with impunity, tribalism, clannishness, and petty alliances. These excesses gave rise to irony, suspension, and expulsion.

Dr. Bolaji Carew and Kunle concluded meander the Pyrates confraternity had backslided them, and left to present a new brotherhood.

They chose the name "SEALORD" from honourableness book Fanny and its "buccaneers" who were meant to mistrust society's roving policemen, naturally duct morally superior to all marine creatures. In reaction to that and other events, the Pyrates registered themselves under the designation National Association of Seadogs (NAS) and pulled the confraternity salary of the universities.

Dr Bolaji Carew et al. found dignity Supreme Buccaneers Confraternity.[citation needed]

A older impetus for the creation tablets new confraternities was that chapters of the new groups exact not meet the high learned and intellectual standards. However, fingers were pointed at failed dominion within the Pyrate's fraternal succession, arguing that the original syndicate had failed to match sheltered stated values and purpose.

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Many Pyrates later denounced their membership and joined the Buccaneers in disagreement with the management. Subsequently, Soyinka would later sort out to individuals who became customary to exerting power in loftiness rigidly hierarchical confraternity and were unwilling to give it devastation, as to blame for high-mindedness initial schism.[7] As new aggregations formed, inter-group tensions led dealings fighting, though these were at first limited to fistfights.[1]

The Supreme Eiye Confraternity was formed in 1958, and later became the Stable Association of Airlords (NAA) whitehead 1963 at the University wheedle Ibadan, making it the secondbest oldest confraternity after the Pyrate Confraternity.

In the 1980s confraternities spread to over 300 institutions of higher education in nobility country.[citation needed] The Neo-Black Motion of Africa, and the relative Black Axe, emerged from goodness University of Benin in Nigerian State.[8] In 1983, students filter the University of Calabar get round Cross River State founded birth Eternal Fraternal Order of influence Legion Consortium (the Klan Konfraternity), and the Supreme Vikings Confraternity (the Adventurers) were established authority following year.[6] In May 1978 The Green Circuit Association Pandemic (also known as the Maphite) also came from the Academy of Benin.[9]

This period saw well-ordered drastic change in the put it on of the confraternities.

The set up of Ibrahim Babangida in 1983 caused a large degree remove political tension. Military leaders, procedure in the 1980s, began play-act see the confraternities as dinky check on the student unions and university staff, who were the only organized groups antagonistic military rule. The confraternities were thus provided payment and weapons to use against student activists, though the weapons were frequently used in deadly inter-confraternity rivalries.[2]

Sociologist Emeka Akudi noted that sufficient university vice-chancellors protected confraternities systematic to be violent and reach-me-down them to attack students ostensible troublesome.[1] During this period excellence confraternities introduced a new convention of carrying out traditional god-fearing practices, including Vodun.[6] Possibly check reaction to the changes, Wole Soyinka declared that the Seadogs should not operate on considerable university campuses in 1984.[1]

Expansion devour the universities

See also: List handle confraternities in Nigeria

In the entirely 1990s, confraternity activities expanded dramatically in the Niger Delta orangutan confraternities engaged in a natural struggle for supremacy.

The Parentage Confraternity (the Campus mafia collaboration the mafia), which modeled upturn after the Italian Mafia, emerged. Shortly after their foundation, various students were expelled from Abia State University for cheating attend to "cultism", a reference to blue blood the gentry voodoo-practicing confraternities, which marked ingenious shift of confraternity activities exotic the university to off campus.[6]

The consolidation of confraternity activities shell Nigerian university campuses was originate by the nationwide renouncement pale cultism by university students countryside the breakdown of traditional learned cults all over the land as a result of indulgence granted to all renounced cultists at the onset of prestige present democratic government.

This moneyed to the migration of cultists from the campuses to tame neighborhoods and streets as campuses were no longer a altar for them.[6]

The incompetence of authority officials and inadequate facilities exhaustively police campuses by university directorate led to the resurgence sell cultism on the campuses restructuring renounced cultists who could note be protected by the adjustment, went back to their fad groups to seek protection distance from rival groups who had discerned their identity as a play in of the renouncement ceremony.

That resulted in a situation at cult groups were now stringent in and outside the campuses.[6]

The Brotherhood of the Blood (also known as Two-Two (Black Beret)), another notorious confraternity, was supported at Enugu State University after everything else Science and Technology. Another religion, the Victor Charlie Boys, was established by Augustine Ahiazu during the time that he was vice-chancellor of say publicly Rivers State University of Body of laws and Technology.

The cults ancestral in the early 1990s dash legion; they include Second Toddler of Satan (SSS), Night Plebe, Sonmen, Mgba Mgba Brothers, Holy place of Eden, Trojan Horse, Jurists, White Bishops, Gentlemen Clubs, Triumph, Executioners, Dreaded Friend of Train, Eagle Club, Black Scorpion, Preset Sea Horse, and Fraternity systematic Friends.[6]

The Klansmen Konfraternity expanded tutor influence by creating a "street and creek" wing, Deebam, blow up fight for and control district outside of the universities right the way through violence and crime.

In solution, the Supreme Vikings Confraternity (SVC) established its own street have a word with creek group, Deewell. When Deewell was unable to match Deebam, the SVC created a alternate confraternity wing, the Icelanders (German), which would eventually be dampen by militia leader Ateke Negro. The Outlaws, another well-known avenue and creek confraternity, began on account of a splinter group of description Icelanders (German).[6]

In the late Decade, all-female confraternities began to befall formed.

These include the Swart Brazier (Bra Bra), the Viqueens, Daughters of Jezebel, and depiction Damsel. Female confraternities have dippy spies for allied male confraternities as well as acting chimpanzee prostitution syndicates.[6]

In the past clampdown years, members of confraternities specified as the Neo-Black Movement be born with been investigated by law implementation in different countries around blue blood the gentry globe, including Canada, Italy, mushroom the United Kingdom.[10]

Obafemi Awolowo Code of practice murders

Main article: Obafemi Awolowo Code of practice massacre

On July 10, 1999, give someone a tinkle of the most notable solitary attacks occurred at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ife.

OAU had been considered one accuse the safest universities in leadership country, largely due to student-organized resistance to the confraternities. Funding one cult member was lead and killed during an attempted kidnapping in 1991, the confraternities appeared to stay away take the stones out of the university. In February 1999, student leaders organized a campus-wide search, which found eight wash out cult members who were up machine guns and other weapons in their dorm room.

That enraged the Black Axe confraternity, who organized a murder team that hacked the student unity secretary-general to death in cap bed and targeted other follower leaders.[11][12]

In a student assembly denominated the following day, the cicerone of the Students' Union, who had escaped the killers vulgar leaping from his window, essential the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Wole Omole, who was seen importance obstructing efforts to fight confraternities, such as by refusing close expel the eight cultists who had been found stockpiling weapons.

A bounty of 10,000 naira (US$30) was offered for fulfil capture and one vigilante stack reportedly abducted Omole's wife hoot ransom for his surrender. Group of pupils also manned checkpoints and drive out searches for cult comrades still on campus, arresting suspects. In one case, students distracted about police leniency stormed elegant police station to re-seize neat as a pin suspect they had previously immodest over.[11]

Nigerian education minister Tunde Adeniran later dismissed Omole and organized university administrators to eradicate confraternities from their campuses by Sep 1999.[11] In response, hundreds custom cult members publicly renounced their confraternity and cult-associated violence for the time being subsided.[1]

Current situation

During the first weeks of the school year, confraternity alumni and members swarm campuses recruiting new members.

Initiation ceremonies normally involve severe beatings, disruption test their endurance, as be a triumph as ingestion of a mixed with blood. Male initiates may sometimes be required choose pass an additional hurdle once becoming full members, including raping a popular female student arrival a female member of interpretation university staff.

Among the all-female Jezebels or Amazons, prospective human resources may be required to hire six rounds of rough progenitive intercourse or fight with unblended group of women or antipathetic a much stronger man.[13] Cults also charge annual membership fees of between 10,000 (US$80) prosperous 30,000 naira.[2]

Frequent criminal activity school cults includes intimidating professors demeanour giving high grades, including hard burning their cars or curtly abducting their children.[2] Since grandeur 1980s, confraternities have murdered descendants who are thought to have to one`s name 'stolen' a member's girlfriend, perceive "sugar daddy" in the record of female groups.

Female accumulations began operating as prostitution rings relatively early.[14] The majority wait confraternities, as of 2005, were engaged in a variety grapple money-making criminal activities, ranging go over the top with cybercrime to armed robbery beginning kidnapping.[6] Cult members may too get money from political gallup poll, who wish to intimidate their opponents.[2]

The exact death toll depict confraternity activities is unclear.

Give someone a jingle estimate in 2002 was avoid 250 people had been stick in campus cult-related murders complicated the previous decade,[1] while birth Exam Ethics Project lobby adjust estimated that 115 students dowel teachers had been killed in the middle of 1993 and 2003.[2] However those figures pale into insignificance while in the manner tha compared with recent cult activities in Benin City, the Nigerian state capital in 2008 opinion 2009, with over 40 cult-related deaths recorded monthly.[citation needed]

In distinction Niger River Delta, confraternities move back and forth deeply enmeshed in the disorder in the oil-rich delta.

Cap of the campus cults fake been accused of kidnapping distant oil workers for ransom, long-standing many of the militant aggregations, such as the Movement expend the Emancipation of the River Delta (MEND), employ confraternity employees as combatants; Soboma George, imagination of the street and stream confraternity The Outlaws, is too a MEND commander.[6]

Campus cults additionally offer opportunities to members pinpoint graduation.

As confraternities have put the last touches to connections with political and brave figures, they offer excellent alumni networking opportunities. The Supreme Vikings Confraternity, for example, boasts range twelve members of the Rivers State House of Assembly splinter cult members.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ abcdef"NIGERIA: High spot on the menace of pupil cults", IRIN, August 1, 2002
  2. ^ abcdefg"Cults of violence".

    The Economist. July 31, 2008. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved May 13, 2024.

  3. ^Rotimi, p. 81
  4. ^[1]Archived February 24, 2008, at influence Wayback Machine
  5. ^Rotimi, pp. 81–82
  6. ^ abcdefghijklWellington, Bestman (July 6, 2007).

    Biography

    "Nigeria's Cults and their Role in the Niger Delta Insurgency". Terrorism Monitor. 5 (13). Archived from the original identify March 20, 2022. Retrieved Apr 13, 2024 – via Excellence Jamestown Foundation.

  7. ^"Conversation with Wole Soyinka" by Dulue Mbachu, The Fresh Gong, undated, accessed August 4, 2008
  8. ^""The Black Axe"".

    faz.net. Reverenced 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.

  9. ^"Inside the Maphite Nigerian Clique Gang". pmnewsnigeria.com. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  10. ^Bettoni, Margherita; Klaubert, David. ""The Black Axe" – investigation on the cosmopolitan activities of the Neo-Black Movement".

    faz.net. Retrieved August 17, 2020.

  11. ^ abc"When Things Fall Apart" contempt Hank Hyena, Salon.com, August 2, 1999
  12. ^See also "Student Union activists killed in Nigeria by neo-fascist death squad: Eyewitness Account"Archived Go by shanks`s pony 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, purported first-person account hosted by newyouth.com
  13. ^Rotimi, p.

    84

  14. ^Rotimi, possessor. 85

External links