Impact of Modern Cultism and Governance in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to investigate the factors responsible for cultism in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. This was necessitated by the prevalent cult attacks that threaten lives and property in the state, and to examine the measures taken to fight against this menace. This study adopted two theories to guide the research, namely, symbolic interactionism and brotherhoodism in efforts to explain cultism. The data for the study were obtained through personal interviews with traditional rulers, police and the clergy, while secondary data were obtained from textbooks, journals, newspapers, and magazines. A total of 100 respondents were selected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were analyzed qualitatively as well as theoretically and empirical studies were reviewed from the basis for conclusion and recommendations. The paper recommends that the Nigeria police force should establish a police community trust relationship in their various stations for effective crime prevention and control. Also, distress call lines should be made available to the public to send information to the police.