Following alleged murder and desertion of villages caused by cult skirmishes in Inen Clan of Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom Police Command swung into action and eventually nabbed the ring leader and 19 suspected cultists in three communities of the state.
It is reported that cult rivalry between the Iceland and Debam confraternities in Inen Ikot Eteye, Ikot Inyang and Inen Ikot Owuk villages in Oruk Anam led to the death of a 27-year-old Ubong Okon, a suspected member of Iceland confraternity, while the whereabouts of a 25-year-old Ememobong Isaiah, a suspected member of Iceland cult group allegedly attacked remain unknown.
In the aftermath of the incident, some cultists went berserk forcing most villagers to flee their homes to neighbouring villages for safety.
This is as the policemen freed one Ita Johnson Inyang aged 70 years from the hideouts of his abductors also in Oruk Anam.
A press release signed by CSP N-Nudam K. Fredrick, the state Police Public Relations Officer, on Friday declared that “On 19/7/2020 at about 10:00 a.m, the Police Command received an upsetting report of pandemonium occasioned by a cult rivalry between the Iceland and Debam confraternities in Inen Ikot Eteye, Ikot Inyang and Inen Ikot Owuk villages.
“Following the incident, one Ubong Okon ‘m’, aged 27yrs suspected to be a member of Iceland confraternity was shot dead, while the whereabouts of one Ememobong Isaiah ‘m’, aged 25yrs, a suspected member of Iceland cult group who was allegedly attacked is unknown.
According to him, “Consequently, the Tactical teams deployed to the area by the Commissioner of Police on 19th July, 2020, operated in collaboration with the Oruk Anam Division and arrested a prime suspect, one Ukandie Okon Udo Ibanga ‘m’ of Inen Ikot Owuk village who has been a wanted person in the Command for armed robbery and murder. Normalcy has since been restored to the affected areas.”
N-Nudam stated “In another coordinated manhunt for the hoodlums on 22nd July, 2020, nineteen (19) suspected cultists were arrested. Two (2) double-barreled shotguns were recovered from the hideout of the hoodlums.
“The Commissioner of Police while reassuring the people of Inen Clan of Police constant operation in the area to forestall cultism, enjoins them to denounce cultism and continue to cooperate with the Police teams deployed to the area by giving useful information on the hideouts of other suspects,” he assured.
