The Cross River State Police Command has arrested 11 men over suspected cult initiation activities in a bush near the Engineering Department of the University of Calabar (UNICAL).
The suspects were arrested on Thursday, October 22, following a distress call from the university authorities, according to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata.
Akata said operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, Satellite Town, Calabar, worked with the institution’s internal security personnel to cordon off the area.
The suspects were identified 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 John Odey, 24.
Police said a Lexus 350 saloon car, reportedly abandoned by a fleeing individual, and three motorcycles were recovered during the operation. The items have been secured for investigation.
The command, however, said investigators had yet to establish any link between the recovered vehicles and the suspected cult activity.
The Commissioner of Police, Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to tackling cultism and other violent crimes through intelligence-led policing and cooperation with stakeholders.
The police said investigations were ongoing and urged members of the public to provide credible information to help prevent crime. They added that the suspects remained innocent until proven guilty by a court.
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