The Police Command in Akwa Ibom State says it has arrested two suspected cultists during a raid in a hotel at Ikot-Udota in Eket Local Government Area of the state.
Timfon John, the command’s spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement to reporters in Uyo on Saturday.
|
|
Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, said that operatives of the command successfully arrested two suspected cultists and recovered a firearm, ammunition and other items during the raid.
According to her, the raid occurred at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, 31 July, in a hotel in Ikot-Udota in Eket.
|
|
|
|---|
She said the command acted on a tip-off that some expelled students and drop-outs from a certain institution (name withheld) had formed criminal gangs.
She alleged that the students were engaging in a range of illicit activities, including extortion, rape, and cybercrime.
The police spokesperson said that during the arrest, officers recovered the following items: one English Beretta pistol with three rounds of 9mm live ammunition.
Other items recovered include one laptop, two Android phones, an MTN internet router, a cocktail of suspected drug concoctions and three copies of a power-of-attorney, suspected to be stolen.
Ms John said that preliminary investigations indicated that the gang were led by two individuals, who are currently at large.
She said that efforts were ongoing to arrest others who are at large.
READ ALSO: Police arrest suspect for alleged cyberstalking, defaming innocent victims online
“This successful operation is a testament to the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of the community,” she said.
Cultism still thrives in some parts of Akwa Ibom despite a ban on cult groups in the state.
The police in the state, last month, arrested a suspected cultist and recovered several items, including a human skull, in Oku Abak, Abak Local Government Area of the state.
Ms John had said that, besides being a cultist, the suspect, Pius Pius, is also a vandal who specialises in vandalising transformers in some parts of the state.
(NAN)
