Nigerian police in Anambra have arrested a 16-year-old secondary school drop-out after she confessed to being raped by 52 men in a bush during a cult initiation ceremony.
According to Daily Post, the suspects were all rounded up in the bush in the state’s capital of Akwa during an initiation ceremony of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity.
The teenage rape victim told police that she was forced by the cult, drugged and raped by all the male members present at the ceremony to “secure the oath of secrecy”.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Hosea Karma, told newsmen that the police acted on a tip that the cult members and their new entrants were in a bush performing some rituals. He said that some items recovered from the suspects are guns, machetes and several wraps of Indian hemp.
The police say that the suspects confessed that it was part of the initiation process for every male member of the cult to rape new female members.
“This they did in order to secure their oath of secrecy and it was during the raid we arrested our female suspect,” Hosea stated.
According to news reports, the victim of mass rape told police that she had traveled to Anambra from Abuja for the initiation ceremony where she was drugged and raped by the 52 men. She was given sedatives to numb the pain, however, she still felt the pain of the rape.
“I joined them three months ago and during my initiation; I was forced to have sex with every registered male member of the cult present that night. I was given sedatives so as not to feel what they were doing. It was not easy, but I bore the pain.
“The day we were initiated, I was the only girl in their midst. I was determined to be a successful member. I was further convinced to stay because I discovered that they were more honorable men than the other cult groups.
“I am sorry for myself and would love to be given the opportunity to go back to school,” she said as she sobbed.
The victim, who is a minor, says that she never knew that joining a cult was a crime. “I am so sorry,” she reportedly begged the police who are clearly treating her as a suspect, instead of an under-aged victim of a gang rape.
“I am from a poor family and I wanted to be the light that will change the situation in my family,” she further revealed. “I got to know about the cult activity through a friend. She assured me that all the connections that I needed in life will be made if I joined the group.”
One of the rapists arrested by the police, Ugochukwu Agbazuo told police that all the men were undergraduates of various institutions in Anambra and that the mass rape of new female members was part of the process of initiation.
“A female intending member cannot undergo the rigorous process during the initiation,” he told the police. “So, our leaders suggested that the best way to get them under oath is for every registered member to have sex with her during initiation.”
Then, he confessed to taking part in the mass rape of the teenager and said he case was ”better”.
“She would be given sedatives during the process so that she will not physically feel the pain. Mercy’s (not real name) case was better because we were only 52 registered males present on the day of her initiation. All of our female members were raped,” he confessed.
He also gave a glimpse into the workings and activities of the cult.
“Apart from some of our national leaders, we are all students. I was initiated into the cult while I was still in my first year. I had no choice but to join them because of the harassment in school. I discovered that most of the Engineering students in my school were members of different cult groups.
“If you identify with a known cult in school, the lecturers will respect you. You don’t have to buy handouts. This was why I joined them.
“We did not steal or harass innocent people. The guns that were found with us were bought in case there was a clash in school. It is our leaders who are all graduates and working across the country that normally assists us to secure the arms. It is strictly for protection and one of the rules of our group is that you must read and pass your exams on merit.”
