Nigeria gained independence from the UK in 1960. The government was a coalition between northern Islamic parties and southern Christian parties. In 1966, two military coups occurred due to perceived corruption in the electoral process. In the 1950s, Wole Soyinka and friends formed the Pyrate Confraternity at University College Ibadan to promote meritocracy over tribalism. For 20 years it was the only student group. In the 1970s, some members were expelled, leading it to register as the National Association of Seadogs and leave universities. In response, another group called the Buccaneers was formed. In the 1980s, the Black Axe group emerged and the military began using student groups as enforcers

1. Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom as a Commonwealth Realm on 1
October 1960. Nigeria's government was a coalition of conservative parties: the Nigerian
People's Congress (NPC), a party dominated by Northerners and those of the Islamic faith,
and the Igbo and Christian-dominated National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC)
led by Nnamdi Azikiwe. Azikiwe became Nigeria's maiden Governor-General in 1960. The
disquilibrium and perceived corruption of the electoral and political process led, in 1966, to
back-to-back military coups.
Wole Soyinka and a group of six friends formed the Pyrate Confraternity at the elite University
College, Ibadan, then part of the University of London. According to the Pyrates, they
observed that the university was populated with wealthy students associated with the colonial
powers and a few poorer students striving in manner and dress to be accepted by the more
advantaged students, while social life was dictated by tribal affiliation. Membership was open
to any promising male student, regardless of tribe or race, but selection was stringent and most
applicants were denied. For almost 20 years, the Pyrates were the only confraternity on
Nigerian campuses.
In the late 1960s, campuses were roiled by the civil war wracking the country. Details are
contested, but it appears that in 1972 Bolaji Carew and several others were expelled from the
Pyrates for failing to meet expected standards. In reaction to this and other events, the Pyrates
registered themselves under the name National Association of Seadogs (NAS) and, at least
one source states, pulled the confraternity out of the universities. Carew went on to found the
Buccaneers Confraternity (also called the National Associations of Sea Lords), largely copying
the Seadogs' structure, symbols and ceremonies.
In the 1980s The Neo-Black Movement of Africa (also called Black Axe) emerged from
the University of Benin in Edo State. This time period saw a drastic change in the role of the
confraternities. The coup of Ibrahim Babangida in 1983 caused a large degree of political
tension. Military leaders, beginning in the 1980s, began to see the confraternities as a check
on the student unions and university staff, who were the only organized groups opposing
military rule. The confraternities were thus provided payment and weapons to use against
student activists, though the weapons were often used in deadly inter-confraternity
rivalries.[8]
Sociologist Emeka Akudi noted that some university vice-chancellors protected
confraternities which were known to be violent and used them to attack students deemed
troublesome.[7]
During this period the confraternities introduced a new tradition of carrying
out traditional religious practices, including Vodun, before any other activity.Perhaps in reaction
to the changes, in 1984 Wole Soyinka declared that the Seadogs should not operate on any
university campuses.[7]