Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have apprehended 25 suspected cultists, including 10 females, in a renewed push against criminal elements in the state.
A statement issued by the command’s public relations
officer, DSP Timfon John, on Monday, stated that the suspects were arrested in
the Abak Local Government Area of the state during a meeting of their members.
According to John, the operatives, acting on credible
intelligence after receiving directives from the Commissioner of Police, CP
Baba Mohammed Azare, to intensify raids on identified black spots and dismantle
criminal networks, carried out the operation which led to the arrest of the
suspects on 3rd May, 2026.
The operatives stormed a notorious black spot located at Oku
Abak Village in Abak LGA, where suspected members of a secret cult
confraternity were reportedly assembling, and successfully carried out the
arrest.
The statement read, “The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has
recorded another significant operational breakthrough in its sustained
crackdown on criminal elements across the state.
“In line with the directives of the Commissioner of Police,
CP Baba Mohammed Azare, fsi, to intensify raids on identified black spots and
dismantle criminal networks, operatives of the Command, acting on credible
intelligence, carried out a successful operation in Abak Local Government Area.
“On 3rd May, 2026, at about 2119 hours, ERS operatives
stormed a notorious black spot located at Oku Abak Village in Abak LGA, where
suspected members of a secret cult confraternity were reportedly assembling.”
The male suspects, according to the statement, include Ubong
Victor, Gabriel Utitofon, Liberty Sunday, Onyekachi Celestine, Sifon Ekong,
Aniekeme Friday, and Emmanuel Sunday. Others include Emmanuel Johnson, Usiene
Michael, Michael Effiong, Mbetobong Johnson ‘M’, Christian Daniel, Baribor
Zorka, Solomon John, and Moses Eno.
The female suspects include Ella Sunday, Esther Samuel, Gift
Okon, Esther Effiong, Delight Eze, Agatha Godwin, Faith Simon, Favour Naru,
Precious Effiong, and Hope Edet.
The statement added that a thorough search within the
vicinity led to the recovery of one locally made pistol, two live cartridges, a
red beret, one motorcycle, and a minibus impounded during the search.
Reiterating the command’s unwavering commitment to ridding
the state of cultism and other criminal activities, the police warned all
criminal elements to desist from unlawful acts or face the full weight of the
law while urging members of the public to continue to support the police by
providing timely and credible information and reporting any suspicious
activities within their communities.
In April, the Lagos State Police Command arrested three
suspected armed robbers during a routine night patrol operation in the Idimu
area of the state.
The command disclosed that the suspects were apprehended in
the early hours of Tuesday, April 7, 2026.
According to the police, the arrest was made at about 2am
when officers on patrol along the Car Wash bus stop near First Bank intercepted
three men riding on a motorcycle under suspicious circumstances.
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