Horror and anguish gripped the people of Uruk Ata 11 in Etim Ekpo local government area of Akwa Ibom State as unknown gunmen killed four persons and abducted four elders of Qua Iboe Church and Christ Faith Church in the village.

It was learnt that the hoodlums, who migrated from their camp in the neighbouring Ikpe village in the area, had flagged down a driver of an unidentified commercial bus passing through the community but going to a funeral service.

An eye witness account told Straightnews that when the driver refused to stop for hoodlums suspected to be members of Iceland confraternity, they sprayed the vehicle from behind with several shots.

“The hoodlums had flagged down the bus near the Obot Uboko area of the Ukanafun-Iwukem-Aba Federal Highway. But when the driver refused to stop, they fired randomly at the moving bus.

“Three persons were killed on the spot, while others sustained bullet wounds before the driver hurriedly stopped after a short distance and the rest of the passengers escaped into the bush,” a local vigilante who would not want his name in print told reporters.

Another person, simply identified as Saturday Monday Udo alias Movement, was also killed in a separate incident on allegation of being an informant to the police.

“The hoodlums came in large numbers from the direction of Ikpe village and exchanged gunfire with some mobile policemen stationed around the Akpan Umoh market area, and the police fled before the cultists chased the deceased to his house and killed him,” he explained.

The three clergy men of Qua Iboe Church, Rev. Donald Ekpo Cookey-the resident Pastor; Elder I. I. Ukpong- church chairman and Elder Charles Udo, were said to have been abducted early Wenesday morning following raid on the Church by the cultists, even as several parishioners scampered and sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Another elder of the Christ Faith Church, Marcus Inyion, was also abducted in the wee hours of Wednesday with two houses including his own were set ablaze by the rampaging hoodlums.

No fewer than seven houses have been torched in the community including those belonging to Ezekiel Obonukut, Sampson Matthew alias Attraction, a night guard at the village school and one Moses Marcus Etuk.

“Right now, the hoodlums have taken over the entire community, killing, maiming, kidnapping and plundering at will because security has completely collapsed. In recent times the hoodlums have burnt seven houses and killed over eight people in this small community”, a member of Qua Iboe Church, who said he escaped in a hail of bullets, lamented.

He, therefore, urged governor Udom Emmanuel, who had in the wake of violent activities of hoodlums, banned 33 cult groups in the state to walk the talk and apprehend the perpetrators.

When contacted, the commissioner of police (CP), Mr Adeyemi Samuel Ogunjemilusi, said he was yet to get details on the matter from the Etim Ekpo Area Command as he was still attending a workshop in Abuja.

“I am not in the state right now; I am attending a workshop in Abuja,” he said.