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Oliver
Cromwell, the Peace on Campus Initiative boss is not a
strange name in Akwa Ibom state. He has since his
undergraduate days at the University of Uyo put his safety
on the line in his spirited fight against cultism and
associated social vices, not only in tertiary institutions
in the state, but even in secondary schools, where the
monster has also been devastating. In this interview with a
group of journalists in Uyo, he tried to give new
perspectives to the demonic phenomenon and its wicked
offshoot, like kidnapping. Excerpts:
Oliver: well,
my name is Oliver Cromwell. I'm a retired Naval Officer. I
went to the University of Uyo. Between 1991-95, we buried
more than 200 and something in cult related problems in the
University of Uyo and some other schools within the East. I
was touched because the boy that gave me admission was
beheaded on the day he submitted his project. I was equally
touched because of my niece who was raped in my presence and
they were so many other loved ones. Then on campus, I said
no way, I have to form the armed forces students forum, and
our stand was that aggression should be met with greater
aggression. So, we started combating them. We discovered
that we had more causalities because there was a big
difference between them and us. That difference was that,
they were ready to die and we were not ready to die. And the
armed forces students forum could not actually be proactive
enough because most of the armed forces students on campus
were then there on campus on official bases, but on the
understanding of their various commanders.
They were not properly released from army headquarters, so
they could not come out. There could not be proactive
innovations. So, I discovered the way things were going, so
I changed again later to Students' High Command. This time
around, it did not have to do with armed forces or any body
but we then said, this is the highest command and in this
command, our stand was that there must be peace on this
campus. That one too, we discovered that it was not really
working because they were fully armed and we were not armed
and so by 1997 we sat back and said okay, by 1999, we were
expecting a proper democracy. We should start changing our
method to conform with democratic values, instead of using
militancy against militancy, fire for fire, which would
result in ashes. Then we came back to Peace on Campus
Initiative. This time around, we took a common stand that no
soul is irredeemable and that fire for fire will result in
ashes. We can identify these men, sit down with them and
find out why they are into this, and talk them out of it.
The programme is being actually supervised by the SSS. So,
the Peace on Campus Initiative has succeeded because a man
is respected when he has a gun, he has a pistol on his waist
and is preaching peace than the man who has gun and shots
and says stop what you are doing and he shots. What I'm
saying in essence is that when you have the might and you
are talking peace, the troublemakers will listen to you; but
when you have the might and want to use the might, some
people will try you. This is the angle we are going about
and we have succeeded. This year alone, we have reformed
more than eight hundred (800) secondary school cultists; and
since we started this programme, more than 3,000 capoons
have passed through this programme and they are doing well
today. Some are Pastors today, some are lecturers, some are
musicians, and many more are into the programme in Akwa Ibom.
We are happy that we have succeeded in Akwa Ibom State for
now.
Is the PCI still working? I ask because we are aware
that there is still this problem of cultism in schools,
notwithstanding your effort? What is the present situation
on campuses, across the states?
Thank you very much. Well, within Akwa Ibom State, we are
doing well. You know that the secondary Schools we focus on
mostly of recent, went on strike and they just came back.
The schools are just stabilizing and I'm sure they will soon
go on long vacation. But the higher institutions that have
been our problem too, most of the boys in the state, most of
them are in town and they are with politicians. And we are
watching to see to what extent the politicians will help
them. Because if at the end of the day, they don't get what
they expect from them, they will come back. But initiations
are still going on but not inside schools, they do it
outside schools now. Another aspect is the influx of our
boys; most of the cultists are graduating to a higher level
of cultism, which is the new culture. They are going to
River State as if they are going to Mecca and the impact of
it is that, we are now experiencing a strange culture in
Akwa Ibom State. So, cultism is still there and then the
higher level now, which is the kidnapping, has come in.
Kidnapping will promote cultism more because they have
gotten a proper end. When you leave school as a secondary
school cultist and then you join the normal University cult
and you graduate without a job. You move into the street as
a metropolitan cultist. From there, you try your way in
politics without success; you will now dive to the highest
level now - kidnapping. All those that have been arrested by
the police, none of them have been identified as a Pastor.
So if you look into their security record, they are members
of one cult group or the other.
The problem of militancy is a new problem as you said,
and the thing is like defiling every solution; the police
appear helpless, the SSS too appear helpless. What do you
think should be done to address this problem?
I wouldn't want to agree to that, because the police have
been parading suspected kidnappers. In other words, they are
arresting kidnappers, so I don't think they are helpless.
The SSS too, the new Director of SSS in Akwa Ibom is an
operational man. For the few months he has stayed in this
state, he has done well in checking these activities.
Kidnapping business may not thrive for too long in Akwa Ibom,
because we don't have what it takes for it to stabilize
here. They don't have the camp here. We have not heard of
any camp in Akwa Ibom, at least for now. Except for those
Local Government Areas within the riverine areas. Maybe
those areas will be easily accessible to them but when it
comes to the hinterlands, it will be difficult because
normally they come through the water. When I went to Rivers,
I spoke with some reformed militants and some reformed
cultists. I tried to find out from them when they were in
that world, why were they doing what they were doing then.
They gave so many reasons. They talked about lack of
infrastructural facilities by the Government of the day,
diversion of allocation, in fact general marginalization and
abandonment of the youths and those who worked for them
(Politicians). Their entire environments have been destroyed
by the activities of the oil companies and nobody cares to
assist them. That scenario cannot play out in Akwa Ibom
because, like you and I know, the Governor, for now, has
initiated many projects for execution; and I think, a good
number of them have been executed or still under execution.
That is why everybody, even those of them in Rivers State,
condemned the kidnapping at Ikot Ekpene. Because they
kidnapped somebody who is an expatriate currently
constructing road. The road that we are complaining is bad,
somebody is doing it and somebody is kidnapping him. They do
not have any good reason to kidnap somebody here, unless for
criminal reasons.
Is it that they did not complain of the issue of
unemployment and lack of employment by the Government of the
day? You talked about lack of infrastructures and other
things.
No, I was referring to those we met in Rivers State. Those
in Rivers State advanced such excuses. But here in Akwa Ibom,
we have not come across any of them. The police are yet to
tell us what those they arrested have told them in the
police station. Because those they arrested are in better
position to tell the police why they are doing what they are
doing; but generally, I still look at it from the point of
conspiracy theory. It's like some persons just want to
embarrass the Governor and the Government of Akwa Ibom
State. Because the way the thing is being done, they are not
professionals like in Rivers State. Like three days ago,
where they arrested an entire family, a woman with four
children; almost the same pattern, the same thing. The worry
and the fact there is that, our kidnappers are growing. They
are growing to maturity because these ones here are not
normally done by MEND. I can tell you with every amount of
sincerity that all the kidnappings done in Akwa Ibom here
have no MEND's connection. It could have traces from Port
Harcourt but not MEND. MEND are the people we know are in
the struggle. So this is the situation. But the state could
still be safe if all hands are on deck. Everybody should be
security conscious and everybody should condemn it, even the
churches should condemn it and the village heads should be
sincere, because these people kidnapped are not taken to the
churches. They are taken to one village or the other to
keep. So, if every village is conscious of the system, they
will be able to know when they bring such victims to their
area.
Just as the PCI has succeeded or almost succeeded in
handling the issue of campus cult, do you foresee the PCI
penetrating the camp of the militants and trying to reform
and dissuade them from doing what they are doing?
Yea, that has started working in Rivers State. Many of the
militants want to denounce their involvement in terrorism
through PCI. They want to return their weapons through PCI.
As I said, the job is continuing because these people that
we have succeeded in discouraging or stopping partially from
practicing cultism on campuses have now graduated from
campuses. Don't forget our programme is Peace On Campus
Initiative. Now, these people are not even on campus, they
are now in the towns and in the cities; so, we are still
going to use the same PCI network since these people doing
this are former cultists or capoons, we might have known
some of them or we might not have known them. So, we will
still use that our contact and structure to get to them and
talk to them to drop what they are doing. We will succeed.
You have said that most of these people graduated from
the University and they now join these other higher level.
In that case, will you say you have succeeded in handling
cultism on campuses now that they have gone into more
dangerous activities?
Yes, I have succeeded because my brief on campuses was one
-there should be stability, and the schools should be closed
as at and when due, and there should be no stabbing, there
should be no armed robbery, and no handset snatching, there
should be no raping, there should be no sailing, there
should be no initiation. These were the things we have been
focusing on; and students should not be conscripted into
cultism. We do that by creating enough awareness to students
and intervening in some cases and trying to relate with
certain agencies to ensure that our campuses are safe. We
have succeeded because since 2000, we have not had any cult
war in Akwa Ibom State; its about eight years now. We have
succeeded because since 2000, we have not had deaths
traceable to cultism on campuses. We have succeeded because
no school has been closed down abruptly as a result of
crisis or problem relating to cultism. And two, we have not
had sailing on campuses since 2000 in Akwa Ibom State. I'm
not saying we have stopped initiation but within the
campuses, we have stopped it. Don't forget that our brief is
peace on campus. Our brief is, to a large extent, limited to
campuses; but if you see traces of cultism outside the
campuses, we will inform relevant agencies. So, we have done
our job well on campuses. Our campuses are safe for now.
We have this problem where cult groups are now coming
out, lets take the case of Pirate Confraternity. Before it
was tagged as a cult group and now they are trying to
register as political party. Some are even coming out -like
the Buccaneers, to say they don't have campus cult again and
stuffs like that. In a situation where all that were known
as cult groups now come out to say that they are no longer
cult groups but pressure or political groups, yet they are
initiating people. When they are pushed to the wall, you see
them committing havoc. How do you defend them?
Well, I think initially, part of our position have always
been that if you want to operate on campuses, go to Students
Affairs Division and register your organization. So, if they
can go and register, like the issue of Pirates and
Buccaneer, I think they are the ones they now call “Brothers
Across Nigeria”. They went to Corporate Affairs and
Registered. For that path, its okay. But if they come back
to engage in those things they say they are not doing, it's
a different ball game. And I think it's startling because
all their executives might have filled forms at the
Corporate Affairs Commission. They have their phone numbers
there, they can be traced if they commit any offence. Unlike
when they were fully underground, they have no trace of
them. I think there is an improvement. The Corporate Affairs
should do more. I think they should liaise with certain
agencies before they register certain organizations, and the
conventional security units have a job to do to check the
activities of these groups, so that they don't end up
deceiving people. I am saying supposing they go back, the
agencies should be able to monitor them; but I think they
meant well if they can go to Corporate Affairs to register.
It's a bold step.
You also said that in Akwa Ibom State there is no need
for kidnapping, because the Governor has done well.
Yes.
Would you then justify the kidnappings in Rivers
State?
No, no, no, kidnapping is criminal, its evil, there is no
way we can justify it. I'm just quoting them. I'm quoting
what they said there and they said this is why they are
doing that. I am saying if that is their reason for doing
that, that kind of defects are not found here. That is what
I mean. Kidnapping is criminal and I'm even advocating that
the National Assembly should look at the law concerning
kidnapping again. Because if you arrest somebody for
kidnapping, invariably from what I have learnt, it is
bailable. And if its bailable, though one of them told me in
Rivers State in a lighter mood, I was asking, 'why do you
kidnap instead of going straight to make your demands, don't
you think you could be killed for doing this?' He said no,
that kidnapping is a bailable offence unlike robbery.
Kidnapping without arms
May be without arms
If they are armed…?
They are armed robbers. Yes if they are armed, they are
armed robbers.
Lets look into this question of your delving into the camp
of the militants to see how you can get them out of the
creeks, do you think you have the logistics, the personnel,
the resources to be able to embark on such a serious task.
I have the personnel but I may not have the resources to go
full blown. But don't also forget that in various camps that
they have in Port Harcourt, some of them are tired. Some
want a platform they can use to come out. Like the first
time I went, they invited me. They read one of my interviews
I had with THE NATION NEWSPAPER, and they started looking
for me and invited me. I had to go, since they wanted peace
and I went there to preach peace. I discovered that
thousands of Nigerians are in the creeks. Suffering. Their
matter should be addressed; it should be addressed because
if they are not addressed today, the thing will address all
of us tomorrow. So they invited me and many of them are
graduates. Some of them are school dropouts, some of them
want to go back to school, some want to learn trade. They
can be rehabilitated; those that want to come out. We are
not forcing anybody. Just like in cultism, we succeeded in
Akwa Ibom not by forcing people but by reaching out,
touching, talking to their conscience, and many of them
willingly returned their weapons to us, willingly denounced
and we were able to employ them back and use them to work.
Now, you have identified that you have pulled some of
them out of the system, when you pull somebody out of a
system like a cultist, a tool in the hands of politician.
You succeed in pulling such a person out. How do you intend
to sustain the person, sustain his interest outside where he
has been deriving his livelihood?.
Yea, that is why we are asking Government to float a
foundation; a foundation that will take care of them. Right
now in Akwa Ibom State, we are liaising with the Director of
SSS to reach out to NDDC, to give us slots for this skills
acquisition thing so that we can push some of them into the
skills acquisition scheme because we know that after the
training, they will normally be mobilized. So, some of them
that have some certain skills could move into that angle.
Then, we, the Peace On Campus Initiative, given what we
want, we can reform as many as possible. For instance, in
Akwa Ibom State, we have more than 242 public schools. And
in these schools, since cultism has penetrated and
infiltrated secondary schools, these ones we are reforming
from the Universities, we could employ them and post them to
these schools. Right now in Uyo metropolis we have four
resource persons from PCI monitoring each of the secondary
schools within Uyo metropolis and they are well paid. So,
every morning, they dress fine. Go to school and inform the
police of any cult activities. They have ID Cards; they go
on security seminars and training. They are guided. They are
enjoying it and so because they are enjoying it, their
colleagues who are still in the bush are envying them and
they want to come out. They are asking the reformed
cultists, how can we be like you? They would now say, to be
like me, go and denounce, submit everything you have. It
does not end there. By coming to denounce, PCI does not give
you automatic job or acceptance. We don't have the strength
or the power to pardon anybody. We take you to SSS
headquarters, where you will be briefed in security
languages. After the briefing, SSS will return you back to
PCI for monitoring and supervision and again for positive
engagement. We now engage them. If we have 242 secondary
schools and post four persons there, if you multiply 242 by
four persons, you know that we have given employment to 968
misguided or lost boys. That will help because the Uyo
model, the positive engagement in Uyo metropolis is what has
actually helped us to calm down this thing. Most of the
former terrorists are doing well. They are wearing tie and
dressing neat. They are going to the police to give them
security report. Cultism is no more lucrative in Akwa Ibom.
Now, we talked about having in Uyo metropolis four
persons in each of the secondary schools, how do you sustain
them? How do you now take care of them?
Yea, that is the angle of the Government. It's a non-profit
making organization, its non-profit making. We only ask
people to assist. That is the area the Government comes in,
because it is an issue that affect the state security and by
extension national security. Like the militancy level now,
its affecting national security, Government of the day
should come in fully. So far, so good, the Government of
Akwa Ibom State under Chief Godswill Akpabio is doing well
to support the organization.
What is the level of activities in Rivers State in
schools where militancy rate is so high?
Yea, as I said, we have not really started proper activities
in schools in Rivers State. What we went for was an
invitation by some tired militant boys. Many other NGOs have
been going to Port Harcourt but they go there to make money.
They use them to bargain for money, but we don't do that in
PCI. So, they respect and felt comfortable to invite us.
When I was going, my workers were like, don't go there; you
won't come back. Even when I got to Port Harcourt, I met
some security agencies and told them I'm going to meet
theses people. They told me, be careful they might kidnap
you. But I went and came back; and if you don't go closer to
them, you would not know what they are passing through. They
are really suffering. Forget about the criminal colouration
of what some of them are doing. But if you meet the real
people in the creeks, if they tell you their desires, how
they are feeling in their hearts, you start pitying them.
When you say those in the creeks are really suffering,
to what extent are these sufferings? Is it in terms of
self-denial? Because at the end of the day we are looking at
the entire larger society of the Niger Delta. When those in
the creeks say they are suffering, to what extent are they
really suffering?
I don't really mean the individuals in the creek suffering.
I'm talking about the zone. They are talking about what
their zone is really passing through. If you go to Bayelsa,
you will agree with me, its not the way people should really
look like. I don't know if money is given to their Governor
and they mismanage, or they are not given money to develop
the place. If you go there, it does not represent the kind
of environment that receives the kind of money that goes
into that place. When they tell you what most of these oil
companies are doing, you will not be too happy. When they
come, under two weeks, they would build a heaven in the
environment but when they are leaving, they would pack the
whole building into a vehicle and drive away. They would
turn an empty land into a city but when they want to go,
they would bring their big trucks and remove every structure
and go.
Your activities seems to cut across schools in
Nigeria, what is the quantum of support you get from those
State Governments?
The only way we can survive in schools is by the efforts of
the State Government. Like in Enugu, the Governor is
committed. Not only in financial support, but in policy
support. A government that came out with a law against
cultism. Any government that frowns at cultism is already
helping us. You know what I'm saying. You might be giving us
support but you are promoting cultism, you are not helping
us; you are endangering us. We want pronouncements against
cultism; at every major functions you condemn it. Condemn
criminality, condemn terrorism, and condemn cultism. That is
what we expect Government to be doing. Then Government
should warn those within not to be involved in cultism
because its very dangerous. There are some states you go,
you will not be happy about what is happening; and here in
Akwa Ibom, we are checking cultism up to secondary school
level. In some states, they don't even believe that cultism
exist in secondary schools. Right now, up North, initiations
are going on, Hausa boys are going in troops because they
don't really know what they are going into. But here, there
is awareness. So that is the situation. The fight against
cultism is the fight against robbery, fight against
assassination, fight against rape, fight against arson and
all other associated social vices. It's now a fight against
kidnapping. I got information yesterday that there was a
kidnapping in Abuja. Attempted kidnapping in Abuja. You can
see the extent this thing is expanding. Of course, you know
there has been kidnapping in Ebonyi State. Nnewi started it
in the East and then Enugu came in, Owerri was there and so,
it's a strange culture that everybody should fight against.
Its very strange and we can only fight it when all hands are
on deck condemning it. We should expose those who are
involved in it. It's a bad market.
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