Youth in Rivers community renounce cultism

The youth of Alakahia Community in Akpor clan of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state have renounced cultism and membership of cult gangs in the community.

They have also pledged to maintain the peace in the once peaceful community,

even as they advised their elders and community leaders to be just in all matters and to always stand on the side of truth to avoid further crisis in the community.

The Alakahia youth took and signed the renunciation oath over the

weekend at the community’s playground in the presence of the community chiefs, elders, leaders as well as women and clergymen.

Others who witnessed the oath -taking and signing ceremony were the Commander of the Choba Area Command of the Nigeria Police, ACP Patrick Daor; the divisional police officer of the Choba Police Station, the Special Anti -Robbery Squad (SARS) and the anti-cultism unit of the police and other security agencies.

The Area Commander, ACP Patrick Daor assured that the police will do its best to ensure peace in the community, but urged the community members to partner with the police by volunteering credible information.

He said that when he assumed as the area commander he learnt that the community was one of the most peaceful in the area, but wondered why things went awry and advised them to work assiduously to ensure that the peace effort succeeds.

Daor commended the youth for their decision to renounce and denounce cultism and by extension to refrain from all criminal activities in the community, advising the youth to engage in useful ventures to better their lives.

“You may be youth today, but elders tomorrow and what you sow today is what you’ll reap tomorrow,” he declared.

Paramount Ruler of the community, Eze Daniel Ogbonda Dodo commended the community women and youth who had initiated the peacemoves that had culminated in the ceremony and advised the repentant youth and others to refrain from violence for the overall development of the community.

“I’ve forgiven all those that have offended me and I’m also pleading for forgiveness from all those I have offended for peace to reign again in Alakahia community.

If it’s the chieftaincy dispute, the matter is before the court and God Almighty will also give his own divine judgment which no man can upturn,” he pleaded with his subjects.

One of the repentant cultists who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, blamed the chiefs and elders of the community as being responsible for the crisis and violence in the community.

“The chiefs and elders will corner everything meant for the youth, divide the rank and file of the youth by arming one set against the other.

“The government too should critically look and get to the root causes of the crisis rocking the community in order to nip future crisis in the bud,” he said and explained that what delayed the ceremony from starting on schedule was the youth’s objection to the disregard of the agreement that both parties in court over the chieftaincy dispute should not be paraded as the paramount ruler of the community which they did.