¡¡¡¡LAGOS, June 27 (Xinhuanet) -- The Nigerian police authorities has arrested six students suspected to be members of secret cults at the Federal Polytechnic (Oko) in southern Anambra State, local media reported on Thursday.

¡¡¡¡The arrest of the students followed the clash between two cult groups in the institution last week, in which a student was shot dead, state police spokesman Yemi Ajayi was quoted as saying.

¡¡¡¡Ajayi said the police are continuing investigation to fish out those sponsoring the clash and the arrested students have already named some persons who are not staff of the college as their sponsors.

¡¡¡¡He said the state police command has deployed policemen to the institution to ensure that the crisis does not escalate, warning that the cult clash at the University of Nigeria (Nsukka) in neighboring Enugu State may spread to other higher institutions including the Oko Federal Polytechnic if not checked.

¡¡¡¡The cult bloodshed at the University of Nigeria fortnight ago claimed more than 20 lives, leading to the indefinite closure of the university.

¡¡¡¡The violent cult clashes have killed hundreds in the country's more than 100 higher educational institutions since the early 1990s.

¡¡¡¡Cult practice, which once flew low in universities and collegesas well as middle schools across Nigeria after the government's crackdown, has been reviving and posed the most dangerous threat to Nigeria's campuses since earlier last year.

¡¡¡¡In southern Nigeria, which has been identified as a hotbed for cult riots the frequent killing of students by cultists has cast fear among school students. Some university authorities have to order closure of the campuses to forestall further cult riots.

¡¡¡¡Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who ratified the anti-cultism law when he came to power in May 1999, has reiterated the government's determination to eradicate cultism on the campuses, warning that anyone caught in secret cult practice would be dealt with the full force of law. Enditem

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