Standup9ja: Cultism upsurge worries Mararaba residents
Residents of Mararaba, a slum settlement near Abuja, are
worried over rising cases of cultism among teenagers in the area.
One of the residents, who would not like to be named, said
the violent clashes often result in casualties that cause parents and guardians
a lot of financial and emotional stress.
“Recently, I learnt
that some suspected cultists, said to be between ages 13 and 18 years, wanted
to initiate a teenage girl at Kabayi in Mararaba here and when she resisted,
the whole thing went awry.
“She was attacked and wounded in her private part. I heard
people said that the girl later died. The boys are terrible and you dare not
talk about them. If you do, you risk
your life,” the source said.
Another resident who also craved anonymity said, “We live in
fear here, the boys and their girls in various uniforms operate freely both day
and night and everybody is keeping quiet. They almost removed one boy’s eye and
cut another’s hand in Kabayi recently, after a violent clash.”
The source further said one of the boys attacked his father
some months ago and the man nearly died simply because he queried the son over
his suspicious activities and suspected membership of one of the groups.
The source said almost everywhere in Mararaba the suspected
cultists terrorize people, snatching handsets, money and other valuables from
people.
“We don’t know how they get their information, whatever you
say about them they know and will continue to hunt you until they attack you,
it’s frightening,” one of the residents said.
When contacted, the
Nasarawa State Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Idrisu Kennedy, who
described cultism as “a disturbing phenomenon,” said most of the cases were not
reported thereby allowing the social problem to thrive.
He said two cases were reported about two months ago and the
suspects were taken to court and prosecuted, adding that in some cases there is
nobody to testify and the suspects will be set free.
He urged parents to train their children properly and
monitor their movement so that they will not engage in cult activities.
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