Campus cults have constituted a major threat to academic programmes
in the nation’s tertiary institutions. These cults encourage moral ruin,
murder, terrorism, sexual harassment, rape, armed robbery and
prostitution.
Consequently, the campus, which ought to be a centre for knowledge
acquisition has become devil’s nest for cult activities. There are
intimidations, tortures and murders. Morality seems to have gone to zero
degree and academic pursuits, which should be of primary importance,
has been relegated to secondary priority.
In a chat with Abuja Metro, 29-year-old Evangelist Levi Chirkpi, a self-
confessed cultist, robber and murderer, who had killed and robbed on
the highways, streets and banks, said he has turned a new leaf and now
has a foundation where he preaches against the vices in the society.
His Foundation
Evangelist Chirkpi is the founder of Renewed Mind Foundation that is
committed to redemption, transformation and rehabilitation of lives and
setting people free from the grip of societal vices like cultism,
examination malpractices, rape, armed robbery, prostitution, drug
addiction, kidnapping, assassination and cyber crime.
He leads his team to schools, prisons, hospitals, communities and police
stations, urging people flee from societal vices; guiding and
counseling people against violence and crimes.
He said: “We organise leadership training programmes, talk shows and
distribute purposeful materials to help people reject all forms of
societal vices, basically ensuring total rehabilitation of transformed
minds and win their souls. We have held programmes in schools and
prisons, programmes like counter societal vices awareness campaigns,
counseling sessions, talents and skills acquisition and development,
welfare and after-care services.
“The manifestation of this vision was on the wind of November, 2014, as I
watched over 20 secret cult members answer the alter call made by the
senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel, Pastor Paul Eneche after
my testimony.”
The Journey
Although he came from a good Christian background, with his father as a
deacon, Chirkpi became a cultist right from JSS 3 and grew from one
level of vain power to another until he attained the highest. It caused
him a lot of setback and pain. He was expelled from school s, jailed and
he became an evil to his family. Now, his mess has become his message.
Initiation
His words:”It started in JSS 3 at Federal Government College
(FGC),Vandeikya, Benue State; but I was expelled in SS 2. It was a peer
group thing, coming together as friends and then trying to give
ourselves title, mention those we will associate and disassociate with.
Then, the other cult group got to know that we were impersonating to be a
cult group; so they came and initiated us formally into the cult. Then I
became a Black Skull member.
“We were asked to pay money for the materials needed for initiation,
like the regalia, candles, alcohol and some other funny things for their
concoction. But the alcohol is to make you strong, so that you don’t
give up; because the initiation process is usually for a whole night,
from 9pm to 4am for both boys and girls. The initiation was done in the
bush or far from school, never within school. That was for secondary
school.
“After secondary school, I joined Black Axe. In secondary school, it was
called Black Skull, while in the higher institution it is called Black
Axe. I joined it before I got admission into the university, because I
was running my IJMB programme at College of Advance and Professional
Studies (CAPS), Markurdi.
“When I got to University of Maiduguri in Borno State, we had to go
through another initiation process. During the initiation process, we
went through physical torture. We were beaten from about 9pm till 3am
when the real initiation will begin. They would use anything available
to hit you. Anyway, before you enter the bush, you must pull off your
clothes and be only in your boxers. Everyone that comes for the
initiation process must beat you and match on you. They keep beating you
and if you survive, fine; if you don’t, they will bury you there, and
nobody exposes it.
Reason for the beating
“The reason for the torture is that they want their members to be
hardened, so that no matter how much they are tortured, when arrested by
the police or the enemy of the cult, they would not reveal the secrets
of the group.
“In the case of girls, all the men that attended the initiation night
must have sex with them. If 100 men attended an initiation night, the
100 men must have sex with all of them. It is a must, and without
condom.
After Initiation
“After the initiation, I felt aroused; I felt I could do anything, more
like a superman. I became bold. The kicker is that, I discovered that
the spirit of anger entered me; then, I could easily get angry. I was
called “Aye South Africa One.” We had temples all over Nigerian
universities, including Benue State University. That one is called IFI
ONE.
Exploits as a cultist
“I introduced the carrying of guns and fighting with guns. I was
shipping the arms from Benue State to Maiduguri. We used government
commercial vehicles, because they hardly search state transport vehicles
like Benue Links. The drivers did not know. We then sell them to
student cultists in Black Axe, Vikings and other cultists.
“I kidnapped a former governor’s girlfriend. It was a popular story in
Benue State. It was a contract. I was paid N5 million for the contract.
After I was arrested, his ADC, who came with the governor to see me
happened to be a member of my group. He asked who told me they were
coming to arrest me, and I told him that it was one SM in the government
house that leaked the secret to me. He said I was lucky because the
governor asked them to kill me in the hotel. They later arrested me in
the public place, so they could not kill me because people were aware
that they had arrested me.
“It happened that way because every cult has its members in all police
headquarters in all the states. Not only the police, but all uniformed
workers, including the military. There is no way a Black Axe man or a
Vikings man will not have a brother there. So, there is a network and
that is why government cannot help the situation.
“I caused riot in school. We fought with our rival group, Vikings, in
the school, with weapons. I was actually caught by the school
authorities and that was how I was expelled.
Robbery
The root cause of major robberies in the country is cultism. Someone who
is not educated cannot think of how to rob a bank, because he does not
know the value of such big money. I never thought I would ever rob
because I was privileged to come from a family where everything was
provided. But it started with cultism, because the cult group will want
to dominate and control the campus. There is this very particular one
that causes me pain, each time I think about it. My friend, who was an
architecture student in Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna,
had issues in school. He spilled over and his father was not happy with
him, so he decided to withdraw most of the privileges given to him,
including money. Then, his girlfriend was pregnant and was desperately
looking for money for abortion. He came begging me to borrow him
N500,000. I actually had the money but I told him, I did not have. I
told him that if he drove me somewhere, I would give him more than the
amount.
“He came the next day and we drank till evening; then, he drove me to a
place and was killed there. What happened was, although he was a
cultist, he had never robbed before. That was his first time to rob. I
can’t forget this because he had a bright future and I felt like I
killed him. During those days I was a cultist 34 of my friends died.
Deals with politicians and senators
“Not only were we used by politicians, some senators were members. We
had a former governor, but then he was serving. I was one of those who
initiated him. The politicians are sharp guys; anything that will make a
governor or senator to allow university boys to use razor blade to cut
his hand for initiation is because he needs help. They use us to get
where they want. In 2011, when I was arrested, It was because a serving
governor then, needed arms for election. I had to go to Maiduguri to
arrange with some Fulani to bring the arms from Chad. It was in the
process that I was arrested.
Contact with Boko Haram members
“Most of these Boko Haram boys are cultists. For example, my friend,
Mubarak, was a Christian. I personally initiated him into cultism. Just
one week after he was initiated, he met Mohammed Yusuf and he sent him
to Afghanistan to learn how to shoot guns and other things. I did not
know his whereabouts till I met him in prison, but he has been converted
to Islam. Even in prison, Boko Haram is increasing by the day. They are
recruiting more members. In fact, I was almost becoming one of them in
the prison. Maiduguri prison is very strict, so they communicate through
‘ bagco bags’. You know, papers don’t enter or leave the prison yard.
What they do is once they have a new recruit, they use marker to write
inside a Bago bag, the names and location of some of their members and
send it to you there. So, Boko Haram is increasing. Some people entered
prison for minor cases, but came out with Boko Haram mentality. They
promise a lot of money. An ordinary Boko Haram member you see on the
street is a stark illiterate. What I mean is, he does not know how to do
anything. People behind fixing of bombs are well advanced. So, if
somebody who is advanced and well-read joins Boko Haram, he must be
given a very big reward or promised a big reward.”
“Mohammed Yusuf was somebody I knew very well. He was an easy going
person and calm. Yusuf was not rich, he was empowered by people who I
don’t know. I said he was an easy going person because, let me give you
an example, right now, if you come close to me, will you know I am an
easy going person. But when it comes to issues of the gospel, I am
radical. I preach the gospel with all the strength in me. I preach
against secret societal vices with passion, seriousness and all
brutality; but if you take me to another place I might be a coward. So,
you are brutal with what you believe in or when it comes to what you
want to achieve. That was the same with Mohammed Yusuf.
Jailed and converted
I was arrested in 2011 and jailed for three years. I just got released
in 2014. That was when I had an encounter with God. I was caught with
arms, but before then, I had a pending case in court. So, I was having
two different cases in two state High Courts. I had no hope of coming
out because I had about 16 witnesses to testify against me. Not only
that, I was caught with everything they needed to nail me. Even my
lawyer did not believe I could come out of the case. My only hope was to
break the jail. I attempted to break the jail because it was my last
hope, but I failed and was arrested and taken to a special place. That
was the sixth time i went to jail, but that was the first time I spent
more than a week in jail. This time around, my parents were not willing
to help; they only prayed for me. That was when I came back to my senses
and I began to see that this was not me; this was not the person I
wanted to be initially. I began to see that something was wrong
somewhere, that I was actually wrong. My prayer then was that God should
help me to come out of jail so that I can put an end to these things. I
became so bitter with the devil to the extent that I began to sit for
the first time and count how many friends I lost from 2009 to 2012 and I
discovered that I lost 34 friend; my crime partners with whom I planned
how to go and execute crimes.
Repentance
“I thank God so much for my life today as I look back to where God
picked me from and where I am today. More than 30 of my former friends
are no more alive to share their experiences but I thank God that for
this purpose, he fought the battle of my life and saved me from serial
murder attacks, armed robberies, political thuggery and dangers of
cultism which I exposed myself to. Today, I am an evangelist,
president/founder of the Renewed Mind Foundation International, saved by
God and anointed with the mandate to transform and rehabilitate lives;
building the nation and setting mankind free from the strangle hold of
societal vices like cultism, exam malpractice, rape, armed robbery,
prostitution, drug addiction, kidnapping, assassination, cyber crime and
their perils. A lot of cultists and prostitutes have been saved through
this platform.
“From experience, I would say cultism is the mother of crime in our
society and the purpose of my existence is to educate the people on the
dangers and implications of this vice that the devil is using in this
generation to kill, steal and destroy the destinies of youths. It was in
the prison after my conversion and repentance from the evil works of my
past, that God said to me repeatedly, “Your mess is your message.”
Having heard clearly from God, I abandoned all my ill-gotten wealth and
properties in restitution and I must testify that God has been so
faithful.
“I have since my conversion, enjoyed so much of God’s presence. God
has been using me to bring salvation, healing and deliverance to many
and I am sure he will do same with anyone who comes to him in
repentance. Nobody is too sinful to be accepted and used by God. If he
could do so much with me despite my criminal background and blood-
stained hands, no one is disqualified, who turns from evil.”
Where did we go wrong with Fulani herdsmen?
For residents of Agojeju, a boundary community between Omala and Dekina
Local Government Area of Kogi State, Monday, November 9, 2015 will ever
remain a day of sadness. On this fateful day, Fulani herdsmen in their
numbers descended on the community, burnt down houses and left over 18
persons, including women and children dead. Numerous others managed to
escape with injuries.
Before the attack, two men working on their farms were butchered by the
same herdsmen at Obakume. Also, a man and his pregnant wife were found
in the pool of their own blood in their farm within the same month. The
villagers said the rate of serial killings in the community has been
alarming.
Checks revealed that the residents of the communities, including
Agojeju, Agbenema, Ajolo, Abejikolo down to Bagana have been running
helter-skelter looking for a safe place to hide for fear of being hacked
down.
Over 95 per cent of people living in these communities are peasant
farmers but they hardly go to their farms for over seven months.
Consequently, feeding has become very difficult and life unbearable for
residents.
Despite all these, no arrest has been made, even with the presence of
the military in Omala Local Government Area. Some of the villagers whose
relations live in the urban areas have already relocated, leaving those
who have nowhere to run to at the mercy of the invaders. Already,
thousands of residents have abandoned their ancestral homes for fear of
the unknown. The common question in the communities is, for how long
will these people live like this?
Travelling along that same route has become risky. The market women who
always take their wares to Bagana market, one of the largest markets
along the River Benue in Omala Local Government Area of the State can no
longer go to buy and sell because the market was burnt down early this
year.
Indigenes of these communities have appealed to the Federal and State
governments to quickly find a lasting solution to the lingering problem.
“We are known to be peace loving people. We do not know where we got it
wrong, why these poor farmers would not have the freedom to work in
their farms; where people cannot sleep and close their eyes. Our
children can no longer go to school because they have been internally
displaced from their own communities. Market women can no longer go
about their businesses”, said one of the community leaders.
32 year-old trans-border robbery has
