{"id":805,"date":"2026-07-12T05:41:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T04:41:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=805"},"modified":"2026-07-13T10:13:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T09:13:27","slug":"police-warn-as-cultism-youth-crime-threaten-nigerias-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=805","title":{"rendered":"Police Warn as Cultism, Youth Crime Threaten Nigeria’s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Okiemute Eunice <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Officer in the Abraka Police Division, DSP Daniel Barty, has described cultism and youth crime as some of the greatest security challenges confronting Nigeria, warning that the growing involvement of young people in criminal activities threatens the country’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking during an interview, Barty said cultism has extended beyond universities to secondary schools and, in some cases, primary schools, making the situation increasingly alarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I can tell you firsthand that cultism and youth crime are among the most serious threats to our society today,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the police officer, poverty, unemployment, poor parenting, broken homes, peer pressure and the desire for quick wealth are major factors driving young people into cult groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Staff Call for Improved Welfare, Facilities in DELSU Campus II<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that many unemployed youths become vulnerable to criminal organisations that promise financial rewards, protection and a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barty also noted that weak family structures and inadequate parental guidance have contributed greatly to the growing influence of cult groups among young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DSP disclosed that cult groups have adopted more sophisticated recruitment methods, including the use of digital platforms such as WhatsApp to target vulnerable youths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to him, recruiters often exploit young people experiencing emotional difficulties, loneliness or identity crises by promising them respect, power and financial success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Health Experts Raise Concerns Over Nigeria\u2019s Preparedness as Ebola Resurges in DRC<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He warned that many recruits later discover that the promises are false, as initiation into cult groups often involves violence, intimidation and other dangerous activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barty further revealed that police operatives have arrested several students in connection with cult related offences in recent months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said cult groups have been linked to violent attacks, bullying, sexual offences and other criminal activities within schools and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address the growing threat, the police have intensified intelligence led operations and community policing initiatives, aimed at identifying and arresting cult members while strengthening collaboration with schools, parents, religious organisations and community leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Students Raise Security Concerns Over Off-Campus Crime in Abraka<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stressed that creating employment opportunities and expanding access to education and vocational training, would help reduce the number of young people being drawn into criminal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I know life is hard, and you might think these groups offer protection, money and brotherhood, but they are a deadly trap, your future is worth far more than the false promises they make,” Barty advised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on parents, teachers, religious leaders, community stakeholders and government agencies to work together to combat cultism through law enforcement, education, youth empowerment and moral guidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Okiemute Eunice A Officer in the Abraka Police Division, DSP Daniel Barty, has described cultism and youth crime as some of the greatest security challenges confronting Nigeria, warning that the growing involvement of young people in criminal activities threatens the country’s future. Speaking during an interview, Barty said cultism has extended beyond universities to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"iawp_total_views":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,35,14],"tags":[31,210,25,26,30],"class_list":["post-805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-education","category-trendingnews","tag-abraka","tag-cultism","tag-delsu","tag-education","tag-insecurity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=805"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1104,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805\/revisions\/1104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}