CULTISM: He Escaped Nekede, But His Past Still Found Him At IMSU, The Tragic Story Of Sympathy.

                                              

The story of Sympathy, popularly known as Chime, is a haunting reminder that in the world of campus cultism, escaping the environment does not always mean escaping the consequences of the past.

At the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Sympathy was once a charismatic Banking and Finance student who had built a formidable reputation as a prominent member of the Black Axe confraternity. But that reputation would eventually place a permanent target on his back.

Sympathy was accused of identifying a Viking member who visited Nekede and was subsequently killed by Black Axe members. Whether the allegation was completely accurate or not, his name became associated with the escalating violence between the rival groups.

As clashes intensified and the pressure became unbearable, Sympathy made a desperate decision: he left Nekede and transferred to Imo State University.

At IMSU, he appeared to become a completely different person.

The swagger was gone. The public display was gone. He became quiet, friendly and deliberately kept his distance from confraternity activities. His goal was simple—finish his education and leave the dangerous world he had once embraced behind him.

For a while, it seemed to be working.

But while Sympathy was rebuilding his life, the war between Black Axe and the Vikings was exploding across the IMSU campus. And in that underground world, changing your school could change your surroundings—but it could not erase your identity.

Then, one ordinary day, everything changed.

Sympathy walked into a lecture hall, unaware that someone who knew his past had spotted him.

Viking members reportedly recognized him as the former Black Axe figure from Nekede. What happened next appeared to be a coordinated operation.

While Sympathy was still inside the lecture hall, a hit squad was allegedly positioned around the school’s main gate, waiting for him to emerge.

When the lecture ended, Sympathy stepped outside.

Then he saw them.

Realizing the danger, he reportedly took off running, desperately trying to reach the crowded student market opposite the school front gate.

But there was nowhere left to hide.

Additional Viking members were already waiting inside the student market. As Sympathy attempted to escape, they reportedly grabbed him and restrained him.

Seconds later, the hit squad caught up.

In broad daylight, inside a place filled with students, Sympathy was shot and killed.

He had changed his school. He had changed his lifestyle. He had tried to disappear.

But according to the story, he could not outrun the reputation he had built at Nekede.

Even today, questions remain over how he was identified. Was someone from his past deliberately waiting for him? Was he betrayed by an insider? Or was it simply a chance encounter with someone who recognized him?

Whatever the truth may be, Sympathy's story carries a brutal lesson.

In the world of cultism, leaving the group does not always mean leaving the consequences behind.

A decision made in youth can follow a person for years—and sometimes, all the way to the grave.