…As government orders clampdown on cultism and cult-related activities
From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Controversy is raging in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, following reports of purported initiation of pupils and students into a secret cult through a process of engraving marks on the back of the hand popularly known as “snake bite.”
It started with a trending video by a rights activist who recorded the snake bite process among pupils in a private school within the state capital and uploaded it on various social media handles.
The video reportedly caused commotion as parents and guardians rushed to the said school and forced the gate open to withdraw their children and wards.
Soon, the development spread to other schools as parents became more apprehensive on the suspicion that the practice among children had spiritual undertones, and it is being orchestrated from the marine world with occultic implications.
Daily Sun learnt that the process involved the rubbing of the back of the hand with a piece of paper, giving rise to a mark on the spot rubbed.
When the video went viral, an eyewitness at the school where the video recording was done, informed our correspondent that parents stormed the school to withdraw their children, insisting that what they saw was a cult initiation process.
“When they came, the environment was calm and the gate was locked. They were shouting from outside that their children should be released to them, that something suspicious was going on in the school.
“While the proprietor was trying to explain that everything was under control, they broke down the gate out of fear and panic and rushed into the classes to take their children.
“As a result, there was commotion and the children ran helter-skelter. It also led to a stampede that day,” the source stated.
Similar chaotic scenes were recorded in other schools, according to the Oshimili South Local Government chapter of National Association of Private Schools (NAPS).
Chairman of NAPS in the area, Samson Ekene, condemned the action of the rights activist whom he accused of breaching the school to record the children. Ekene said the development has resulted in damage on the part of school owners.
“He never consulted with the ministry before invading one of our schools in Oshimili South, and his action is condemnable. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has an inspectorate department with the duty to visit schools, correct anomalies and take reports to the appropriate quarters. The inspectorate department has been doing their job.
“So, his visit to that school to record the video has brought a lot of damage to our schools. Categorically, parents stormed schools trying to withdraw their children because they believed that initiation was ongoing in schools.
“We got a report of another parent who stormed a fellow parent’s house to fight because of the video,” Ekene said.
He advised parents to disregard the video and send their children back to school, as what was being misconstrued as a cult initiation process was mere childish antics.
“We are telling parents and guardians that the so-called snake bite has nothing to do with the cult initiation process. They should disregard it and see it as false information, and take their children back to school.
“Back in my days in school, there was something we were doing using cashew to grate marks on the hand, but I cannot remember having bad dreams as a result of that. There is also the chewing gum cartoon.
“Children play with the things around them; we must make it clear that the so-called snake bite is done with pen and paper and that is what is common in school. This mark is being engraved with paper, and it is just child’s play,” he said.
Urging the activist to pull down the video, and apologise, Ekene said NAPS has resolved never to open their school to any unauthorised person, no matter how highly placed, noting that some persons have formed the habit of visiting schools to extort money from them.
Meanwhile, a statement by the police in the state declared the alleged cult initiation process as false, saying that the matter has been thoroughly investigated.
“The command, having examined the video clip and carried out investigation, wishes to debunk the narrative by the said activist as false and should be completely disregarded,” a statement by the police public relations officer, Bright Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said.
Edafe explained that he and another senior officer, ACP Sunday Oladipo, acting on the instructions of the Commissioner of Police, Wale Abass, went to the school to investigate: “On arrival at the school premises, the school pupils, teacher and one of the parents were interrogated. A mother to one of the affected children stated that her children said it was a game in the school tagged ‘snake bite’ and nothing more to it.”
Edafe stated that after interviewing some of the pupils, he personally offered his hand for the children to publicly conduct the experiment.
“And the child used a small white paper to rub the back of my (PPRO’s) palm, which gave rise to the exact mark on the same spot that is being wrongly portrayed as cult initiation. It became clear that it was a harmless trend among schoolchildren and not a cult initiation process as it wrongly portrayed by the said activist.
“The command, therefore, urges parents to be calm and ignore the false claim making the rounds. Also, it is noteworthy that any right-thinking person who notices such a trend ordinarily will go into proper investigation and also inform the police to investigate before posting on social media. It is again advised that the false publication should not be taken seriously,” he advised.
Nevertheless, the Delta State government has ordered a massive clampdown on cultism and cult-related activities in schools across the state, ostensibly as a result of the video.
The government said it was worried over rising cases of cult activities, and urged the relevant agencies to ensure proper supervision of schools.
Government warned that it will not hesitate to close down any school where cult related activities are noticed.
