No fewer than 12 cultists will be charged to court in relation to
various killings in Calabar and other parts of Cross River State, the
police said.
The cultists, who are currently in the custody of
the Criminal Investigation Department of the Cross River State Police
Command in Calabar, are still being investigated before they would be
prosecuted for offences committed at the law court.
Residents of
Calabar had in recent times been terrorised by activities of various
cult groups. The situation is not different from other major towns in
the state where the groups had been involved in killing and maiming of
innocent people.
Southern City News learnt on Friday from the
state police command that more arrests were still being made to get to
the root of most of the matters, while dangerous weapons including guns
and large quantity of ammunition had been recovered from the suspects.
The
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Hogan Bassey, said
those arrested had confessed to being members of the Vikings
Confraternity, Confraternity and KK cult group.
He gave the names
of the arrested suspects as Benedict Udoka (28), Paul Asuquo (23)
Anthony Orim (22) Francis Omang (22),EtimNsa (33)EffiongEdet (26),
BasseyOrok (18), EyoBassey (21),EnoBassey (19), UmohEkpo (27), Emmanuel
Daniel (29),PaulinusEdem (28) and Christopher Undie (24).
Bassey
said two of the suspects, who claimed to work for the state Department
of Public Transportation, were arrested at a restaurant along Eyoma
Street in Calabar, where they went to eat ‘dog meat’.
He said,
“Information was received on March 2, 2015 at about 12.45pm that a group
of boys suspected to be cultists were sighted at a dog meat joint along
Eyoma Street in Calabar, the police swung into action and arrested
Benedict Udoka and Paul Asuquo. A locally made pistol was recovered from
Benedict. They confessed to belonging to Viking Confraternity and they
will soon be charged to court.
“Others were arrested in different
parts of the state after killing innocent people during their cult
activities. Items ranging from locally made pistols, ammunition, knives
and cutlasses were recovered from them in the cause of the raid.”
However,
responding to the allegations against them, Benedict, who hails from
Obot-Akara Local Government Area of AkwaIbom State, denied his
involvement in cult activities, adding that he was arrested with a
pistol that belonged to his friend.
He said, “I was not doing
anything with the gun. I was about to leave for my place of work at the
Department of Transportation when one of my friend called Martins gave
me a polythene bag to keep for him. I did not know the content. He said
he was going to buy some electrical equipment. I went with the polythene
bag to where I went to eat. Three policemen were there, the place was
close to the Mbukpa Police Station in Calabar-South.
“Meanwhile, a
friend of mine was seated beside me. At that point I decided to open
the polythene bag and I discovered there was gun inside. I drew the
attention of my friend seated beside me to it. I told my friend that I
was going to take it to the police station but my friend advised that it
will not be wise and that I should wait to hand it back to the owner.
It was at that point that the policemen around sensed there was
something amidst and they came to apprehend us.”
However, another
arrested suspect identified as Paul Asuquo, who said he hails from
Creek Town in Odukpani LGA of Cross River State, said they were victims
of circumstances but admitted that they knew it was illegal to possess a
firearm that is not licensed.
12 cultists in police net over
Calabar killingsIt is really not our fault because we are not the owner
of the gun. I was only on duty when my friend called me to escort him to
where we would eat. I do not know the owner, but my friend knows him,”
he said.
source: http://www.punchng.com/city-news-feature/12-cultists-in-police-net-over-calabar-killings/