By Victor Ogunje
Students from all the tertiary institutions in Ekiti State under the aegis of National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Committee (NANS/JCC) yesterday held a peaceful protest against cultism in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
The students were drawn from the Ekiti State University, Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Federal Polytechnics, Ado Ekiti, and other affiliated schools.
The match, which was christened ‘Walk Against Cultism’, kicked off from the popular Old garage through Okeyinmi to Fajuyi Park, where the Chairman of NANS/JCC, Ekiti State chapter, Felix Olanrewaju, addressed the students.
Olanrewaju regretted the carnages being experienced in some campuses through the activities of ‘murderous cult groups’, especially the gruesome murder of six youths in Ikere Ekiti on April 18, 2021, in a cult clash.
He added that the NANS was battle-ready to stop shedding innocent blood on campuses and restore sanity in the system.
According to him, “Joining cult seems to be a good option for some Nigerian students. But as students, whose mindset is configured to achieve a goal, cultism is not an option; cultism will add no value to life, rather it would reduce the quality of one’s life.
“One of the major disasters that should be avoided in a student’s life is cultism. The consequences of cultism include threat to peace on campuses and society, sexual harassment like rape and all sort of sexual crimes; incessant killings, drug abuse, kidnapping among other kinds of violence.
“We are informing our parents to advise their children, and we are giving the students adequate information needed to desist from these ungodly groups that can truncate their lives at their prime.
“Today, NANS JCC walks against the shedding of blood, brutal killings, sexual harassment and other sorts of violence.”
The NANS General Secretary in the chapter, Sikiru Aderibigbe, said the peaceful protest was part of the NANS’ mandate to add values to the lives of Ekiti students and campuses.
“We invite all Nigerian students in Ekiti State to join NANS to tackle and defeat cultism. Together, we shall put an end to cultists’ brutality,” he stated.
