In recent times the Rivers State Government, in collaboration with some local government have initiated peace deal between warring cult groups in some communities in the state with the aim of restoring peace in crisis state ridden areas.
For instance, in Khana Local Government Area, Deygbam, Dewell, Iceland and Greenland cult groups embraced peace recently and submitted large cache of arms like the case in Ahoada East, Ahoada West and Emohua Local Government Areas.
The Rivers State government had also in collaboration with local government encouraged the formation local vigilante groups such as OSPAC (ONELGA Security Planning Advisory Committee), ROSPAC (Rundele and Odegu Security Planning Advisory Committee) which have improved the security situation in their various localities.
The government of Rivers State in its resolve to tackle cultism had also launched a special security outfit code named “Operation sting” as well as ordering compulsory profiling of all youths executives in the state by security agencies.
However, the state government must do more in order to reduce the menace of cultism to its minimal.
In doing so, the government should pay keen attention to re-activation of Guidance and Counselling units in public schools in the state and also ensure the existence of such unit in privates schools. A functional and vibrant Guidance and Counselling unit in all secondary schools will counter strategies used by cult groups which have turned public schools to breeding ground for upcoming cultists. For instance in the eradication of mosquitoes, the most efficient means is to ensure there is no breeding for the insects. The government must ensure all breeding ground for cultists are completely eradicated.
Workshops and seminars centered on anti-cultism should be done on regular basis in primary and secondary schools with emphasis on the dangers and consequences of being a cultist.
The state government should make deliberate efforts to make policies that will discourage land and chieftaincy tussle in communities as cult groups tend to align themselves along factions laying claiming to such land or chieftaincy stool.
Aside the order that all youth groups should be profiled by security agencies, government at all levels in collaboration with security agencies must ensure effective monitoring of youth executives to make sure they do not derail from the original purpose of forming the youth body.
The government should also work in synergy with security agencies to constantly monitor repentant criminals or “repentant cultists” to be sure they do not go back to their old ways.
Cultism tends to have four major supports which include kidnapping, armed robbery, peddling of illicit drugs and illegal oil bunkering.
As chemists often observe that the rate of kidnappings, armed robbery, peddling of illegal drugs and illegal oil bunkering is directly proportional to the rate of cult activities which means that these four criminal activities increase at the rate of cultism increases.
From reports available to us, many suspected armed robbers, kidnappers, illicit drug peddlers and illegal oil bunkerers arrested by security agencies in the state belong to one cult group or the other.
It is a common knowledge that almost all the kidnap kingpins killed by security agencies in the state who were terrorizing Emohua East West road were members of cult groups.
These cult groups engaged their rival in battle in order to get control of territories to advance their economic fortunes.
Security agencies should target more of the sponsors of the cult groups and their leaders in various communities, while concerted efforts are needed to make Rivers State cultism free.
