Starting university or polytechnic is exciting. New friends, new experiences, freedom from home. But if you’re heading to a Nigerian tertiary institution, there’s something serious you need to know about. Cultism. It’s real, it’s dangerous, and as a fresher, you’re a prime target.
According to research from Nigerian universities, over 56 secret cults existed across 133 higher institutions in the country, and that number has only grown. The Wikipedia entry on confraternities in Nigeria estimates that between 1993 and 2003 alone, 115 students and teachers were killed in cult-related violence. We’re not talking about harmless social clubs here. These are dangerous groups involved in violence, intimidation, and criminal activities.
As a fresher, you’re walking into an environment where cultists actively hunt for new recruits. They know you’re young, probably away from home for the first time, eager to fit in and make friends. That makes you vulnerable. But here’s the good news. You can protect yourself. You can navigate university life safely without getting caught up in cult activities. Let me show you exactly how.
1. Understand How Cult Recruitment Actually Works
Before you can avoid something, you need to understand how it operates. Cult recruitment on Nigerian campuses isn’t what you see in movies. It’s often subtle, calculated, and takes advantage of your need to belong.
According to research on cult recruitment tactics, recruitment typically happens during the first few weeks of the academic year. This is when you’re most vulnerable. You don’t know anyone yet. You’re trying to figure out campus life. You’re looking for friends and connections. Cultists know this and use it to their advantage.
The approach usually starts innocently. A friendly senior student offers to help you navigate campus. Someone invites you to what seems like a harmless party or gathering. A group of cool, popular students suddenly wants to be your friend. You feel special, chosen, included. This is exactly what they want you to feel.
Studies show that cults use something called “love bombing,” which is intense flattery and attention designed to hook you emotionally. They make you feel like you’ve found your people, your tribe. By the time you realize what’s really going on, you might already be in too deep.
Some recruitment is more forceful. According to European Union research on Nigerian cults, recruitment and initiation rites may be forced, including following kidnapping. The Wikipedia article notes that initiation ceremonies may involve severe beatings to test endurance, and cults charge annual membership fees between 10,000 and 30,000 naira.
Understanding these tactics is your first line of defense. When you know how the game is played, you’re less likely to fall for it.
2. Be Very Careful About Who You Call Your Friends
This might sound harsh, but it’s critical. Not everyone who approaches you with friendship has good intentions. In your first few weeks on campus, be selective about the company you keep.
Watch out for these red flags in potential friends. Anyone who seems too eager to be your friend too quickly. People who are unusually generous without knowing you well. Students who always seem to have money, connections, and influence beyond what’s normal for a student. Groups that seem overly exclusive or secretive about their activities.
According to Pulse Nigeria’s guide on recognizing cult members, there are specific signs to watch for. Cult members often wear specific color combinations consistently. The common colors among campus cult groups are black, blue, red, and yellow. They may also have handkerchiefs and hats as part of their fashion accessories.
Pay attention to how people greet each other. The same source notes that cult groups have different handshake signals and rituals that involve grabbing of the wrist and twisting the fingers. If your new friend greets others this way, be cautious.
Also notice if someone has visible scars on their face or body. Initiations of new members often involve beatings and severe punishment, leaving permanent marks. These scars are meant to give members an identity and sense of belonging to the group.
This doesn’t mean you should be paranoid or unfriendly to everyone. It means being observant and taking your time to really get to know people before trusting them completely. Build friendships gradually. Let people prove themselves trustworthy over time rather than diving into intense friendships immediately.
3. Join Safe, Legitimate Campus Organizations Instead
One of the main reasons students get lured into cults is the need for belonging. Everyone wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. The smart move is to fulfill that need through safe, legitimate campus organizations.
Religious fellowships are excellent options. Christian campus fellowships like the Scripture Union, Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), and Catholic Students Society are widespread and provide strong community support. Muslim students can join the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN). Research shows that Christian campus fellowships play a significant and veritable role in the fight against cultism in Nigerian universities.
Academic and professional clubs related to your field of study are another great option. Engineering students can join engineering societies. Medical students have medical associations. Business students have entrepreneurship clubs. These organizations offer networking, mentorship, and career development without any of the dangers associated with cults.
Sports clubs and teams are fantastic for building camaraderie and staying physically active. Drama clubs, debate societies, music groups, and other cultural organizations provide creative outlets and social connections.
The key is to get involved in something early. Don’t wait until you’re lonely and desperate for friends. Join legitimate organizations during your first semester so you have a healthy social circle from the start. When you already belong to positive groups, you’re much less vulnerable to cult recruitment.
4. Watch What You Wear and Avoid Certain Color Combinations
This might seem superficial, but it’s surprisingly important for staying safe on Nigerian campuses. Certain colors and symbols are associated with specific cult groups, and wearing them innocently can get you into serious trouble.
A guide on avoiding cultism on campus warns that color combinations like yellow and yellow, yellow and black, red and black, and white and red should be avoided as much as possible. These colors have different meanings to cultists as they use them to identify themselves.
Also avoid wearing clothes with certain symbols. Skulls, goat heads, the Eye of Horus, the all-seeing eye on a pyramid, these images are sometimes associated with cult iconography. Hand bands of all kinds should be avoided. Instead, wear a wristwatch to complement your outfit if you need something on your wrist.
This doesn’t mean you can never wear these colors. It means being mindful about combinations and contexts. If you’re wearing red and black together at a party or in certain campus locations known for cult activity, you might be mistaken for a member or seen as disrespecting a particular group’s colors.
The safest approach is to stick with neutral colors and simple, clean outfits, especially in your early days on campus before you understand the specific dynamics of your school. Once you’ve been there a while and understand which colors or combinations are problematic at your particular institution, you can make more informed choices.
5. Stay Out of Trouble and Mind Your Business
This is probably the most important piece of advice for staying safe from cultism. Avoid trouble. Mind your business. Don’t let your ego get you into dangerous situations.
Respect everyone, even people who might seem unimportant or powerless. You never know who is connected to what. The guide on avoiding cultism emphasizes that if you fight with someone you don’t know and they say “you don’t know who I am, you will see what I will do to you in this school,” you might find yourself beaten or worse days later. Worse cases end in death.
Avoid places and situations prone to fights or trouble. Late-night parties in off-campus locations. Bars and clubs known for violence. Gatherings where drugs and excessive alcohol are involved. If something feels wrong or unsafe, trust your instincts and leave.
If you accidentally get into trouble with someone who might be a cultist, swallow your pride immediately. Apologize, even if you have to roll on the floor. This isn’t about dignity. It’s about survival. Your life is more valuable than your ego. Don’t try to be a tough guy or prove a point. Cultists love trouble and will use any excuse to escalate situations.
If someone continues to harass you after you’ve apologized, seek help from your guidance counselor, campus security, or a trusted lecturer. Don’t try to handle it alone, and definitely don’t try to fight back or get revenge.
6. Be Strategic About Your Living Situation
Where you live on or near campus can significantly affect your exposure to cult activity. Some hostels and neighborhoods are known to have higher cult presence than others.
If possible, try to get accommodation in more secure, well-monitored areas. On-campus hostels that are close to administrative buildings or have active security presence are generally safer. Some universities have specific hostels designated for freshers, which can provide additional oversight and protection during your vulnerable first year.
When choosing roommates, be careful. Don’t just move in with anyone because they seem nice or because housing is scarce. Try to room with people who share your values. If you’re religious, rooming with fellow members of your faith community can provide additional safety and accountability. If you’re serious about your studies, room with other academically focused students.
Pay attention to the dynamics in your hostel or neighborhood. If you notice suspicious activities, groups of people using strange handshakes or coded language, people disappearing at odd hours, or an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, those are warning signs. If your living situation feels unsafe, work with your parents and university administration to find alternative accommodation.
Remember that some areas are particularly known for high cult activity. Research indicates that student cults mostly operate in the southern states of Nigeria and are particularly strong in Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo. If you’re studying in these states, extra caution is necessary.
7. Build a Strong Support System From Day One
Your best protection against cultism is having people who care about you and will notice if something is wrong. Build that support system immediately when you arrive on campus.
Stay connected with your family. Call home regularly. Don’t wait until you’re in trouble to reach out. Let your parents or guardians know what’s happening in your life. If cultists are pressuring you, your family needs to know immediately so they can help you navigate the situation or even remove you from campus if necessary.
Connect with trustworthy mentors on campus. This could be a lecturer in your department who takes interest in students’ welfare. It could be a chaplain or imam if you’re religious. It could be a senior student who has proven themselves to be of good character. Having adults or mature students you can turn to for advice makes you less vulnerable.
Make friends with other serious-minded students who share your values. If you’re all committed to staying out of trouble and focusing on academics, you’ll help keep each other accountable and safe. There’s safety in numbers when those numbers consist of the right kind of people.
Join study groups within your department. This gives you legitimate reasons to socialize and build friendships around academic goals rather than partying or risky behavior.
Don’t isolate yourself. Lonely students are the easiest targets for cult recruitment. Research shows that students engage in cultism because of a sense of belonging and the need to be well-connected, or because they are seeking meaning, direction, comfort, and love within a community. Cults seem to provide an alternative community for lonely and alienated members of the institution. Don’t let that be you. Build your community the right way from the start.
What to Do If You’re Approached by Cultists
Despite all your precautions, you might still find yourself being recruited by cultists. Here’s what to do.
First, stay calm. Don’t panic or show fear, but also don’t act tough or confrontational. Politely but firmly decline. You can say you’re not interested in joining any groups right now because you want to focus on your studies. You can say your parents are very strict and you can’t risk getting involved in anything that might cause problems. You can claim health issues or family obligations that prevent you from committing to any organization.
Don’t insult them or their group. Don’t say “I’m too good for cults” or “only idiots join cults.” That’s a quick way to make enemies. Keep it about you and your circumstances, not about them.
If they persist, reach out to authorities immediately. Talk to campus security, your dean of student affairs, or even local police if the situation is serious. Some universities have anti-cultism units specifically to handle these situations.
Document everything if you can. Keep records of threats, pressure, or harassment. This documentation can be crucial if you need to escalate the situation to authorities or if you need to prove you were coerced.
In extreme cases where your safety is genuinely threatened and the school administration isn’t helping, don’t hesitate to leave campus. Your life is worth more than any degree. You can always transfer to another institution, take a break and return later, or find alternative ways to complete your education. But if you’re dead or seriously injured, none of that matters.
The Reality You Need to Accept
Let me be completely honest with you. Cultism in Nigerian universities and polytechnics is a serious problem that’s been going on for decades. Despite government interventions, anti-cultism laws, and university policies, the problem persists. Research shows that the effects of cultism include loss of lives and properties, disruption of academic activities on campuses, and unsafe university environments.
Some universities are known for having particularly high rates of cultism, including the University of Benin, University of Port Harcourt, Lagos State University, and others. If you’re attending one of these schools, you need to be extra vigilant.
The good news is that there are also universities known for being safer. Private universities like Covenant University, Redeemer’s University, and Bowen University have strict anti-cultism policies and are generally considered safer options.
But regardless of which school you attend, your safety ultimately depends on the choices you make. Thousands of students graduate from Nigerian universities every year without ever being involved in cultism. They make smart choices, stay out of trouble, focus on their studies, and build the right kind of friendships. You can be one of them.
Your University Experience Is What You Make It
University should be one of the best periods of your life. New knowledge, new friendships, personal growth, and preparation for your future career. Don’t let cultism rob you of that experience.
The seven strategies I’ve shared aren’t about living in fear or being antisocial. They’re about being smart, aware, and intentional about how you navigate campus life. Understanding recruitment tactics, choosing friends carefully, joining safe organizations, being mindful of what you wear, staying out of trouble, choosing your living situation strategically, and building a strong support system. These aren’t restrictions on your freedom. They’re tools for protecting it.
Remember why you’re in school. You’re there to get an education, build a future, and make something of yourself. Cultism offers nothing but danger, legal troubles, and potentially death. No sense of belonging is worth that price when you can find community through legitimate channels.
Be smart. Be safe. Focus on your goals. And if anyone tries to pressure you into joining a cult, have the courage to say no and the wisdom to seek help immediately. Your future depends on the choices you make today.
