For those of you who don’t know how the various cult groups came into being in tetiary institutions in Nigeria, here’s a brief to further broaden your spectrum.
Most of the publications I have read on the subject of cultism seem to agree that what is known as “secret cults” in tertiary institutions in Nigeria started when the Pyrates Confraternity was formed at the University college Ibadan (UCI) in 1953. The confraternity was formed by six students at UCI, namely, Wole Soyinka, Aig-Imoukhuede, Pius Olegbe, Ralph Opara, Nat Oyelola and Olumuyiwa Awe. The Society was formed for the following reasons among others:
1. To Abolish convention,
2. To revive the age of chivalry
3. To end tribalism and elitism.
There is no doubt that the intentions of the founders of Pyrates Confraternity were altruistic. They obviously did not set out to create the hydra-headed monster (or phenomenon) known as cultism in today’s terminology. But like a farmer clearing a bush in the harmattan and setting a fire to a heap of dry leaves, what started with a group of six has now become a chimeric underground movement, a tyrannical monster with many heads.
The list of the secret cults operating in our educational institutions looks like what you will find in the encyclopedia of any computer anti-virus software. At the count it was estimated that there are 44 cult groups operating in various campuses in Nigeria. This is probably an underestimate. It has also been estimated that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), University of Calabar (UNICAL), Univerisity of Benin (UNIBEN), University of Lagos (UNILAG), and the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU) have not less than 16 cult groups operating in each of these campuses at any given time.
The Different Gang / Cult Groups, Their Origins and Their Beliefs
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SEADOGS (NAS)PYRATE CONFRATERNITY
PYRATE CONFRATERNITY
AHOI-SEADOG
This cult group was the first identifiable cult group formed between 1952 and 1954 at the foremost Western University of Ibadan now University of Ibadan by seven persons namely: Ralph Opara, Ikhehare Aig-Imokhuede, Sylvanus Egbuchie, Nathaniel Oyelola, Pius Oleghe, Olumuyiwa Awe and Wole Soyinka. The pioneers of NAS were collectively known as “The Magnificent Seven”. It was headed by CAPON BLOOD. The aims was basically to combat the then increasing occurrence of violence caused by tribal groups during students’ activities, western influences and other secular gatherings, in ways suitable to the cult group but with the advent of time deviation of purpose manifested. Pyrates
sayings and beliefs;
Odas is Odas
No Friend, No Foe (NFNF)
Absolute No Lagging (ANL)
Members are knowns as ”AHOI” or ”P-C”.
