Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, has warned that the state government will shut secondary schools engaged in alleged cultism.
This warning follows the recent revelation that some secondary school students are being initiated into cultism through an act known as ‘snake bite’ where a student is allegedly marked on the back of their palm indicating their initiation.
The commissioner said the government would not hesitate to shut down any school where students engage in cult-related activities, adding that the Ministry of Education also plans to increase its supervisory role to end the trend. Aniagwu added that any student found guilty would be punished accordingly.
He blamed parents, teachers, religious leaders, and sundry stakeholders for neglecting their duties to their children and wards.
He said, “Let nobody make any mistake to think that cultism is restricted to Delta. “What we are suffering today flows from the failure of parents of yesterday, so parents of today must avoid such pitfalls.
“Beyond the fact that we have asked the supervisory ministry to increase supervision, the authority in any school where cultism is found will be called to answer,’’
Recall that PUNCH reported on Wednesday that a Delta state-based Rights activist, Harrison Gwamnishu, raised the alarm on a cult initiation process in some secondary schools, known as the ‘snake bite’.
Sharing a picture of the mark on two students’ hands, he wrote on his Facebook page, “Check your child if she or he has this mark, If YES, It’s a mark of initiation into cultism. The mark is called a ‘SNAKE BITE’. Check your children NOW!
By Amarachi Okeh