Old problem, new manifestation: the emergence of cultism in rural secondary schools in Anambra state, Nigeria

The menace of cultism is not fundamentally new, especially in the tertiary education system in Nigeria, but it has assumed a worrisome dimension going by the recent experiences in rural areas. This study examines the changing manifestation and extension of school cultism from university campuses to secondary schools in rural communities. Primary data was generated through non-participant observations and focus group discussions (FGD) conducted across twelve rural secondary schools in the study areas. Data analysis reveals that the emergence of cultism in rural secondary schools is closely tied to the infiltration of university students into secondary schools to hunt for recruits among younger students. The study concludes that secondary school cultism lowers the academic performance of students and threatens the security of host rural communities. It suggests the adoption of preventive security approaches in rural secondary schools, such as all-round fencing of school premises, installation of CCTV/technology-based monitoring system and the use of anti-cult groups in curbing the menace. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.