Youths have been warned to desist from cultism and other crimes that could take them to prison or destroy their future.
A prison advocate, Pastor, Darlington Ajilemisan, and other panelists gave the warning yesterday at a One Day Seminar with the Theme: ‘ The Nigerian Youths and Cultism Today’ held at Lagos State Police Command Officers Mess. Ikeja yesterday.
The youths who were drawn from Primary Schools and Higher Institutions were advised to stay clear of friends that could lure them into cultism and other crimes.
According to Pastor Ajilemisan, ” crime doesn’t pay, I have been into crime since I was three years- old selling drugs on the streets of Lagos until I graduated to become an adult.
He said I cannot talk about prison without talking about what took me to prison. I have been going to be a prison at the age of three. I have trained an assassin, a professional killer, I was a small boy in prison, I was doing all these things because of how I grew up seeing my parents fighting.
“There is all kind of things going on in the prison, there is homosexuality , if you think you go to prison and come out to be a better person, you are lying, the prison will change your thinking, No matter what your religion is, I have served in four different prisons in the world. I have also been to Kirikiri prison.
“I have also been to all different police stations. Whoever that enters prison, will come out as a Harding criminal, and other crimes you don’t think you will find yourself in.”
Pastor Darlington further said Many crimes such as armed robbery, assassin, and other violent crimes are organized in the prison. nothing that water in prison is a poisonous one. I imagine people comparing Nigeria prison with the United State of America, Nigeria prison is overpopulated.
“My fear is that prison in Nigeria has is a master destroyer. Prison is supposed to be for reformation, and correctional center, But when you have warder officials who are not educated, they feed on the inmates. Nigerian Prison needs proper funding to make it the real correctional center.”
While, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Monday Agbonikan said, cultists lure their target with different tricks.
He said Cultists have also had a way of identifying themselves sometimes through their dresses, hairstyles and sign language only those who are the members that can understand them, Not all persons that have the same hairstyle is a cultist.
One of the challenges, why cultism strives in campuses, is because policemen are not allowed to enter university for operation except they are called, we commend the concerned of the seminal Mrs. Juliana Francis because that is the only way to catch them young and check it. We must talk about parents. Parents should do their best, society values working contrary to normal norms. In Lagos Island, it is difficult to separate cultism and area boys.
“There is a connection between crime and people living where crime is being perpetrated, Peer pressure is attracting people to join cultism, revenge over issues can cause Youths to join, emotional instability, the family problem can cause one to join cultism and Political thuggery. “
ACP Agbonikan also said cultism could affect once academic, school dropout, Robbery, rape, prostitution, and other vices. He urged parents to play an important role in the life of their children to prevent them from joining bad gang
The Lagos State Police Spokesperson, a Deputy Superintendent of Police Bala Elkana, on his own said cultism is a serious problem to the society. He said many young ones are involved, which makes it very serious.
Elkana said Parents should live an exemplary life for their kids to emulate. Whatever the kids wish to become in life can only be by themselves. The most painful thing to me as PPRO is to parade young persons who supposed to be leaders of tomorrow as cultists or criminals.
” It is not about taking cultists to court but addressing the root causes of cultism attracting young people into it.”
The convener of the program, Mrs. Juliana Francis, said the number of young people involves in cultism gave birth to the idea of the program.
The idea behind the program is for the young ones that had been taught about the danger of cultism to forward the same message to their friends and relatives. They have no reason to join any crime, even when there is no food at home and they don’t have parents.
“No reason is acceptable for any young persons to join a cult. They should know that their choices have consequences. Any negative action they are involved will affect their family members and their future. They should know that life is no competition in life, Parents must keep on talking about it to their children.”
