A young man finished his exams. He got into his car, he drove toward the gate, and never made it out alive.
On May 10, 2026, a student of UNIBEN, identified as Alexander was driving a Mercedes-Benz GLK out of campus when he was intercepted by another unregistered white GLK Mercedes-Benz carrying masked gunmen. The attackers immediately opened fire on his vehicle at close range, targeting the driver’s side before speeding away. Three others were injured, including a female passerby who had nothing to do with any of it.
Cultism in Nigeria has a strange relationship with time. Every few years, the country acts shocked that it still exists.
The recent shooting linked to the University of Benin has forced an uncomfortable question back into public conversation: Is cultism still a thing in 2026?
Sadly, it never left.
How It All Began
The origin of cultism in Nigerian universities can be traced to the Pyrates Confraternity, founded by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and others at the University College, Ibadan, in 1952. The confraternity was non-violent and its activities were not shrouded in secrecy.
What started as a group built around social change and intellectual ideas later became something far more dangerous. Over the years, different groups began to break away, rivalries grew, and violence became a way to gain fear and control on campuses.
Today, cultism is no longer only a university problem, it has become a part of Nigeria’s wider social culture, stretching into politics, street gangs, internet fraud circles, and local power structures. That is why the conversation around cultism refuses to die.
Why People Still Join
Cult membership does not always come from ambition or a love of violence, and this is the part many people avoid talking about. Sometimes, it comes from grief.
On a Sunday evening in March 2022, 19-year-old Kingsley was half asleep when his 21-year-old brother burst into their apartment in Benin City. Seconds later, a group of armed men came in. He heard a slash and his brother’s painful grunt. As the cult group left, one of the men struck Kingsley on the head. Weeks later, Kingsley joined the rival Eiye confraternity to avenge his brother’s death.
Most cultists are not recruited with violence in the beginning; they are recruited with friendship, attention, promises of protection, and the feeling of belonging.
In a country where many young people feel frustrated, broke, or invisible, the promise of power can be tempting. Some students join because they are scared. Some join because of pressure from friends. Others simply want to feel important.
Cult groups understand this perfectly; they know how to make young people feel seen. Once loyalty begins, violence often follows later.
The Effects of Cultism on Nigerian Campuses
The effects of cultism go far beyond the people directly involved.
Students live with fear in environments that are supposed to feel safe. Some avoid certain hostels. Some avoid moving around at night. Some become careful about who they speak to or associate with.
It’s even how one small misunderstanding can quickly become deadly.
Cult clashes have destroyed lives, ended friendships, and left families grieving for years. Many students have lost focus academically because of insecurity on campus. Others never make it home alive.
The fear also affects parents. Every cult-related incident reminds families that sending a child to university in Nigeria can sometimes feel dangerous.
Why Cultism Still Exists in 2026
The real question is no longer whether cultism still exists, it is why (young) people still see it as useful.
Why does fear still earn respect so easily? Why do violent people sometimes appear more protected than decent people? Why do some young men still believe power must come through intimidation?
Until Nigeria answers those questions honestly, cultism will continue to survive.
