CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Peace and security are the foundation on which social, economic and educational life rests. When they are weakened, families lose confidence in their neighbourhoods, schools struggle to function, and investors and residents begin to leave. In Nigeria, a considerable share of this threat now comes from within communities themselves, particularly from the conduct of young people drawn into criminal networks. In Anambra State, the spread of youth social vices has been shown to carry measurable consequences for internal security, producing visible fear among residents and holding back the state's prospects for sustainable development (Onyetube, 2024).

Cultism in Nigerian institutions did not begin as the violent phenomenon it is today. Ajitoni and Olaniyan (2018) explain that secret societies originally existed within traditional communities, where they helped to maintain order and uphold moral standards. Fraternity-style groups later appeared on campuses, and over time many of them shed whatever social purpose they once had and turned to intimidation, initiation rituals and armed rivalry. Fayokun (2011) argues that this transformation cannot be separated from wider social, economic, educational and political grievances, and that cults attract students because they appear to meet needs such as belonging, protection and status. Ajitoni and Olaniyan's analysis is consistent with this view: the persistence of cultism despite repeated crackdowns suggests that enforcement alone does not remove the conditions that sustain it (Ajitoni & Olaniyan, 2018).

The abuse of psychoactive substances has become closely entangled with this problem. Studies of Nigerian tertiary students describe drug use as a public health concern with serious implications for mental health and academic performance (Okoro & Lahai, 2021). Research among students in Ekiti State also lists cultism alongside peer influence, easy availability of substances and purchasing power as factors that push young people towards drug use (Soremekun et al., 2021). Where drugs are readily available, a market inevitably forms to supply them. The drug peddler therefore becomes a key actor in the same social space as the cult group, supplying substances, funding or enabling group activities, and drawing young people into patterns of dependence that make them easier to recruit and harder to rescue.

The consequences for Anambra State have been documented. Emenike, Okeke and Ezenwegbu (2023) found that illicit drug trade has a significant bearing on security in the state and noted that the commercial centres of Onitsha, Nnewi and Awka appear to be the areas most affected, which they linked to the concentration of markets and economic activity in those zones. Within this wider picture, Obosi has repeatedly attracted attention. Journalistic reporting has described the town as becoming synonymous with drugs and armed clashes, and has recorded the difficulty that the police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) face in containing both drug peddling and cult-related violence there (Eleke, 2018). More recently, the CLEEN Foundation (2025) identified the proliferation of small arms, the politicisation of cult and youth gangs, and weak security infrastructure among the major risks to stability in Anambra State.

It is against this background that this study is set. It examines how drug peddling and cultism together generate threats to peace and security in Obosi town, with particular attention to the Anambra State School of Health Technology, Obosi, as an institution whose students, staff and neighbours live with the consequences.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Drug peddling and cultism have persisted for decades as sources of insecurity in Nigerian communities and institutions of learning. Their effects reach well beyond the individuals directly involved: lives are lost, academic activities are disrupted, parents live in anxiety, and trust in public institutions declines. Ajitoni and Olaniyan (2018) observe that cultism has continued to resurge even where stringent measures were introduced to discourage it, which indicates that earlier responses have not addressed its underlying drivers.

In Anambra State, the problem has taken a particularly worrying form. Illicit drug trade has been linked to deteriorating security in several parts of the state (Emenike et al., 2023), and youth social vices more broadly have been shown to undermine internal security (Onyetube, 2024). Obosi, in particular, has been described in press coverage as a flashpoint where drug activity and armed cult rivalry reinforce each other (Eleke, 2018). Recent security assessments further warn that the entanglement of cult groups, small arms and political interests continues to threaten peace in the state (CLEEN Foundation, 2025).

Despite this, much of the available scholarship concentrates on universities or on Nigeria as a whole, while relatively little empirical attention, to the best of the researcher's knowledge, has been given to the specific interplay of drug peddlers and cultism in Obosi and in a specialised institution such as the Anambra State School of Health Technology. Without evidence drawn from this setting, policy makers, school administrators, security agencies, parents and community leaders are left to act on assumptions. This study is therefore justified by the need for locally grounded evidence on how drug peddling and cultism threaten peace and security in Obosi, and on what can realistically be done about it.

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges that drug peddling and cultism pose to peace and security in Obosi town, Anambra State, and to establish the part played by drug peddlers in sustaining these challenges. By examining the origin, causes, forms and consequences of the problem, the study aims to generate information that students, parents, teachers, community leaders, security agencies and government can use to design lasting remedies, and to strengthen the evidence base for community-centred approaches to peace and security.

1.4 Objectives of the Study

The specific objectives of the study are to:

1. trace the origin and development of drug peddling and cultism in Obosi town and its institutions of learning;
2. identify the factors that encourage young people in Obosi to engage in drug peddling and cultism;
3. examine the role of drug peddlers in the activities of cult groups and in the wider insecurity of Obosi;
4. assess the effects of drug peddling and cultism on peace, security, academic activities and social life in Obosi town; and
5. evaluate the measures taken so far by government, security agencies, religious bodies, families and communities, and propose workable strategies for improvement.

1.5 Research Questions

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1. How did drug peddling and cultism emerge and develop in Obosi town?
2. What factors encourage young people in Obosi to join cult groups or engage in drug peddling?
3. What role do drug peddlers play in sustaining cult activities and insecurity in Obosi?
4. What are the effects of drug peddling and cultism on peace, security and academic life in Obosi?
5. How effective are the measures that have been adopted to curb drug peddling and cultism, and what additional strategies are needed?

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study is significant for the following reasons:

1. Academic contribution. It adds to the growing body of Nigerian scholarship on cultism, substance abuse and community security by focusing on Obosi, a setting that has received little systematic study, and by examining drug peddling and cultism as connected rather than separate problems.
2. Policy relevance. Its findings can assist the Anambra State Government, the Police, the NDLEA and other security agencies in designing responses informed by local realities rather than assumptions.
3. Institutional benefit. School administrators and student affairs units will gain a clearer understanding of the pathways through which students are drawn into drugs and cultism, and can strengthen counselling, welfare and discipline systems accordingly.
4. Family and community benefit. Parents, religious leaders, traditional institutions and youth organisations will be better placed to recognise early warning signs and to share responsibility for prevention.
5. Support for affected young people. By highlighting the circumstances that push young people into these networks, the study supports rehabilitation and reintegration efforts that offer a way out for those who wish to leave.
6. Foundation for further research. The study provides a base for future work in related communities and institutions across the South-East and beyond.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study is concerned with drug peddling and cultism as they relate to peace and security in Obosi town, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The Anambra State School of Health Technology, Obosi, serves as the principal institutional focus. The study covers the origin, causes, manifestations, effects and control of the two problems, and the part played by drug peddlers in sustaining insecurity.

Other higher institutions in the state, as well as primary and secondary schools, fall outside the scope of the investigation. The researcher nevertheless considers the focus adequate to yield dependable findings that can offer useful insight into comparable settings, with the caution that generalisation to other communities should be made carefully.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study was carried out under constraints of time, funds and access. Because drug peddling and cultism are secret and sensitive activities, some respondents may be unwilling to speak openly, and the researcher therefore relies on assurances of anonymity and confidentiality to encourage honest responses. These limitations are acknowledged, but they do not diminish the validity of the findings, as appropriate care is taken in the design of the instruments and in the treatment of the data.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Peace: A condition of social order in which individuals and groups live without fear of violence and can resolve disputes without harm.

Security: The protection of lives, property and the means of livelihood from threats such as violence, crime and intimidation.

Cultism: Membership of, or participation in, secret groups whose activities involve initiation rites, oaths of secrecy and, in many cases, violence and criminality.

Drug peddling: The illegal sale, distribution or supply of controlled or harmful substances to users or other sellers.

Obosi: A community in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria, and the geographical setting of this study.

Youth: In this study, young persons, including students, who are most exposed to recruitment into drug networks and cult groups.

References

Ajitoni, S. O., & Olaniyan, O. D. (2018). Causes and panacea to problem of cultism in the Nigerian education system. European Journal of Education Studies, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.1457

CLEEN Foundation. (2025). Report on security risks ahead of the Anambra State governorship election. Lagos: CLEEN Foundation. (As reported by Arise News: https://www.arise.tv/proliferation-of-arms-armed-groups-may-jeopardise-anambra-governorship-election-report-says/)

Eleke, D. C. (2018, June 14). Anambra's growing cultism. ThisDay. https://www.thisdaylive.com/2018/06/14/anambras-growing-cultism/

Emenike, P. I., Okeke, H. E., & Ezenwegbu, N. C. (2023). Effect of illicit drug trade on security in Anambra State. UBS Journal of Business and Economic Policy, 1(2), 165–175.

Fayokun, K. O. (2011). Campus cultism in Nigeria's higher education institutions: Origins, development and suggestions for control. Makerere Journal of Higher Education, 3(1), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.4314/majohe.v3i1.6

Okoro, R. N., & Lahai, U. (2021). Drug use among undergraduates in Maiduguri, Northeast Nigeria. Journal of Health Reports and Technology, 7(2), e113625. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijhls.113625

Onyetube, E. J. (2024). Youth social vices and internal security in Anambra State: Implications on sustainable development. ANSU Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 10(2), 48–63. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajass/article/view/281320

Soremekun, R. O., Omole, O. E., Adeyemi, O. C., & Oshatimi, A. M. (2021). Assessment of use of psychoactive and other non-prescription drugs among students of selected tertiary institutions in Ekiti State, South West Nigeria: A baseline study. Heliyon. PMC7930107.