Worried by incessant cults’ killings in Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Alhaji Zuabiru Muazu, on Monday launched a special Joint Task Force (JTF), to comb the affected areas in the two Councils.
Cults’ killings have been rife in Etim Ekpo communities including Udianga Enem, where the village head, Chief Mendie Josiah, had been sacked by the hoodlums with no fewer than six people killed,
Besides, suspected cultists invaded the neighbouring Abak Obong community and hacked three to deaths including the village head, Chief Bassey Ikpaisong and his brother as well as another neighbour simply identified as Mr. Udotim.
Currently, the entire communities have been deserted, forcing the hoodlums to take over the affected villages, helping themselves to livestock, farm produce and other resources left behind by the fleeing residents.
It was gathered, the affected villagers have taken refuge in safer places including Iwukem, Etim Ekpo, Azumini, Ikot Ekpene, Abak and Uyo, while awaiting government intervention.
“We are held up here with nothing to do in order to feed our children because our only source of livelihood is farming and we have left our farms, barns, livestock and household property for the hoodlums to plunder”, Uko Akpanofiong, who fled the troubled Udianga Enem community to safer place in the neighbouring Iwukem, lamented.
“We want government to come to our aid because our children are dying of hunger and diseases in this strange land; we want to go back and salvage what is left”, Aniefiok Umoh, a public school teacher, also lamented.
Inaugurating the JTF outfit in Ukanafun, CP Zubairu said the special squad comprising Mobile and regular police, was deliberately designed to constantly patrol the affected communities with a mandate to restore peace.
“The special force will patrol the affected areas in order to ensure a return of peace so that the displaced people can return”, he said.
Although CP Zubairu described the hoodlums as political thugs and not cultists, he said the special operations would dislodge such criminal elements and ensure that sanity returned to the troubled areas.
He, therefore, called on the local residents to partner with squad by volunteering information that would help the Police in the task of ridding the affected areas of hoodlums and other criminal elements.
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