The Cross River Police Command says it has arrested 11 persons over alleged cult initiation activities near the Engineering Department of the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed this in a statement issued in Calabar on Friday.
Eitokpah said operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, Satellite Town, Calabar, raided the scene at about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, following a distress call from the university.
He said the operatives collaborated with the institution’s internal security personnel to cordon off a nearby bush where the alleged initiation was reportedly taking place.
The police spokesperson identified the suspects as Ogar Favour, 25; David Akpa, 27; Gift Emmanuel, 24; Aaron Favour, 24; David Abubu, 25; Victor Emmanuel Eyibo, 26; Oghenemaro Hendrix, 24; James Ede Joseph, 22; Charles Ekeng, 21; Edu Nkanu, 26; and Ogabor Odey, 24.
He said the suspects were being investigated to establish their individual roles and the circumstances surrounding the alleged activity.
Eitokpah added that the operatives recovered a Lexus 350 saloon car, reportedly abandoned by a fleeing individual, and three motorcycles during the operation.
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According to him, investigators had secured the recovered items but were yet to establish any link between them and the suspected cult-related activity. He said investigations into the incident were ongoing.
The PPRO quoted the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ajo Ordue, as reaffirming the command’s commitment to combating cultism and other violent crimes through intelligence-led policing and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
The command urged members of the public to provide credible information to assist in crime prevention and the protection of lives and property.
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