20 years after the last bloody secret cult incident at the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife, members of a cult group called Alora struck.
According to a report by Great Ife Watch, the group launched an attack after the credit alert party featuring local star, Zlantan Ibile,the first of it’s kind in two decades since the July 10, 1999 attack.
The attack with a skirmish inside the university’students Amphitheatre when some members of the group confronted and harassed some students and guests who attended the party where Ibile, an Afro-pop artiste thrilled.
According to an eye-witness report, the group had slapped four notable OAU m social figures who were alumni guestso at the event. The four individuals were slapped at the front stage after a brief exchange of words.
Later on, they proceeded to a section of the hall to confront a student who was wearing a yellow shirt. Upon failure to establish his affiliation to any cult group, he was also slapped.
Afterwards, they were challenged by a student of the university popularly known as Ay-Joks. The group descended on Ay-Joks and dragged him outside the venue while serving him with severe and several punches and slaps.
Ay-Joks was already drenched in the pool of his own blood before some well-meaning students stepped-in to.save him from the rampaging members of the Alora Confraternity.
It took mserious resistance and confrontation from few bold and conscious students to challenge the raging cultists – as hundreds of students for fear of their lives were just looking and shouting.
The group had attacked with dagger, Knife and a local charm identified as “Bante”.
According to eyewitnesses, the cult group comprised of OUI students and one identified OAU student and a female.
The cult members were subsequently rounded up by students, thoroughly beaten and handed over to the school security. They were taken away by the school security to an unknown destination.
Information revealed that they came in full customized yellow shirts and communicated in cult languages, signs and slogans.
Trends of Cultism
It should be noted that the last cult attack on OAU campus that had a similar outcome was July 10, 1999, cult attack on when members of the “Aiye” Confraternity murdered five students of the university in a sponsored cult attack. Ever since then cultism has been stemmed on OAU campus to a zero state by the anti-cult campaign of the university and the students’ union.
However, since the proscription on the students’ union, traces of cultism has begun to resurface on campus at an alarming rate. Six students of the university were indefinitely suspended during the last session for cultism after they got exposed by members of the university. It was also reported by Great Ife Watch that about 107 students had been initiated into cult groups in the last two sessions. A female student of the university was severely beaten and battered by a male colleague during this week.
Recently, there have been repeated cases of bullying, oppression and physical attacks and this would be the latest in a series of cult trends.
Reactions:
Some students of the university had responded to the cult attack. One blamed the relative success of the attack on lack of electricity on campus. Another blamed it on several factors such as the absence of a Students’ Union and accommodation policy.
As at the time of time of filing this report, seven of the cultists have been arrested.
