The South West Secretary of the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV), Prince Gbemisola Obadeyi, has highlighted the significant role of cultism, internet fraud (commonly known as Yahoo Yahoo), and social media abuse in the recent failure of 1.5 million candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). According to Obadeyi, these issues are major distractions for students, adversely affecting their academic performance and focus.
In a statement, Obadeyi pointed out that cultism, internet fraud, and social media abuse are deeply interconnected, fostering an environment that detracts from academic dedication and concentration. He emphasized that cult clashes, particularly on university campuses, contribute to a hostile atmosphere that disrupts students’ ability to focus on their studies and prepare adequately for exams. Furthermore, the rise of cultism is linked to higher dropout rates, as students involved in such groups are either expelled or choose to leave due to the dangers associated with cult membership, which in turn leads to a rise in UTME failures.
The POCACOV Secretary called for immediate action to address these challenges, stressing that students must be supported in overcoming these distractions in order to improve their academic outcomes.
