NSCDC arrests 18 students over cultism

Abeokuta - The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ogun said it arrested 18 students of two public secondary schools in the state in connection with alleged cult activities. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the organisation, Mr Kareem Olanrewaju, told newsmen in Abeokuta on Thursday that seven of the students were arrested at Nazareth High School, Imeko, Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of the state. He said the 11 others were arrested at Lisabi High School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta. He said the seven students were caught at Imeko while initiating some students into cultism while the 11 were apprehended on Thursday. "We also arrested eleven students of Lisabi High School, believed to be cult members, while conducting themselves in a way that breached peace in the school," he said. The NSCDC spokesman, however, said that the students would not be charged to court because of their age, saying "they are non-prosecutable". "We will not charge them to court because of their age, they are underage and cannot be prosecuted. "The command will consult with the state Ministry of Education to determine their fate." Olanrewaju urged the government to give priority to civic education in secondary schools, to reduce the level of such immorality among the youth. "We have discovered in the course of our investigation that parents are no longer contributing enough to improve the future of their children, rather, they have devoted much of the time to other  things," he said.