For a some time, suspected members of deadly cult groups have had an unfettered run of some parts of Akwa Ibom State, killing and maiming innocent natives at will.
In an incident that took place recently at Mbikpo in Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area of the state, a man was said to have been forced out of his home by a gang of gunmen and shot dead in full view of the public.
CRIME DIGEST learnt that to forestall a decent burial for the victim, after shooting him, his assailants cut his body into pieces. Eyewitnesses at the scene of the murder described it as the handiwork of suspected cultists.
The following day, another cult killing was reported at Ifa Atai in Uyo LGA. The victim was killed near his residence.
Two days after this incident, at about 9 pm, unidentified cultists reportedly struck at NEPA Line Junction, Off Aka Road. All the incidents occurred without any clue on the identities of the killers or their whereabouts.
Those were just a few cases of cult killings, which have become a common feature of life in Akwa Ibom. Investigations show that the killings have spread across all the 31 LGAs in the state.
A resident at NEPA Line, who craved anonymity, described the last incident in the neighbourhood as horrible. He told our correspondent that a few minutes before 9 pm, gunshots were heard and many people had scampered for safety.
He said, “After the gunmen had left, people rushed back to NEPA Line Junction to check if anybody had been hit by stray bullets.
“We saw a man on the ground. Obviously he had been killed by the gunmen. It seems that all the men were together, but, since the incident occurred in the evening, one cannot say with certainty whether they were friends or not.
“All I can say is that somebody was killed. I don’t know what led to the killing, though people are saying it was cult killing.”
Another young man, who witnessed the Mbikpong killing, said he was in his shop when he heard gunshots twice.
He said the killers did not leave their victim after shooting him, but stood around the corpse for about 20 minutes before they left.
“After the assailants left, all of us rushed to the scene of the murder. The victim’s hands were cut off and his legs amputated. Even his head was decapitated from his body. The scene was frightening, he said.
“I can’t tell what the madness was all about. If killing him couldn’t settle a score between the murderers and their victim, would dismembering him settle it? We are here to live together and tolerate one another. If anybody feels they cannot live among mankind, they can go and live in the forests with reptiles and primates.”
A lawyer, Mr. Udoh George, said violence was not the best way to resolve a disagreement between two people, let alone murder.
George said the only solution was through legal redress. He said, “If a person feels offended and he believes that he cannot tolerate the weight of the offence, it will be proper for such individual to go to court.
“It is a pity that the society has been infected with cultism. We must first understand what cultism is and what its members stand to benefit.
“If the only good it can give to the society is to destroy the members of the society, then it is high time the government used all its machineries to stop the menace. It is a danger to societal survival.”
Another victim of cult violence in the state, a boxer named Alexander Joseph (alias Ibom) was shot by gunmen at the Uyo Township Stadium around 9.30 am on May 12, 2012.
A lady, who witnessed the incident, told our correspondent the deceased was killed during a training session at the stadium.
The lady said Joseph’s killers approached the boxer, inflicted machete cuts on him and shot him in the neck thrice.
She said, “We were all training with Joseph. He was in good form and preparing for the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Lagos. All of a sudden the gunmen walked up to him and dealt him several blows with their machete before shooting him in the neck. He tried to resist the assailants but in vain.”
The State Director of Sports, Mr. Aniedi Dickson, submitted that the deceased was a strong boxer who was training hard for the sports festival.
He said, “It is quite unfortunate; he was our medal hopeful, a very strong boy, and his death may dampen the morale of our boys. We organise trials for them every quarter; in the last trial two weeks ago he was very strong, he was in excellent form.”
The late boxer was said to have won a bronze medal for Akwa Ibom State in the 2009 National Sports Festival Kaduna.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Onyekaozur Orji, condemned the killings and advised every aggrieved member of the society to seek legal means of settling their scores.
He said, “I don’t know why some people should resort to killing fellow human being. Coexisting with our neighbours as members of the society, we have to tolerate one another. If anybody should feel aggrieved, there are legal institutions where one can seek redress.
“We are investigating the incidents. We are also asking members of the public for information that can lead to the arrest of the culprits.
“We are not resting on our oars. I can assure you that the police are doing their best towards apprehending the culprits. We seek everybody’s cooperation in this regard.”
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