The Chairman of Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, John Ewa said not less than 280 alleged cultists have renounced their membership in various cult groups.
The Chairman said this on Monday, March 29, 2021, at the launch of a campaign called “The New Boki Project,” which aims to reintegrate youths.
According to the chairman, he started the project to quell youth unrest and put them together in order to foster peaceful coexistence in the region.
He emphasized the importance of addressing cultism in the council, noting that it was endangering the area’s peace and growth.
“I am delighted that over 280 youths in the Boki local government area have rejected cultism and pledged their allegiance to peace.
“This demonstrates that the Boki Peace and Reconciliation Committee, which we created, is producing results.
“We have lost over 50 people in Boki due to cult and communal clashes between 2017 and now; this is concerning.
“At this point in time, only peace will ensure the development that Boki so desperately desires,” Ewa said.
He advised the youths to concentrate their energy on projects that would help them better their lives.
The chairman stated that plans had been finalized for repentant teenagers to participate in a skills training program in order to be properly reintegrated into society.
Mr Francis Obun, speaking on behalf of the repentant youths, said that some of them were persuaded to join various cult groups.
Obun promised that they would turn a new page and thanked the chairman for launching the “New Boki Project.”
Representatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, and Immigration, among others, were in attendance.
