Cross River: Police Arrest 11 Over Alleged Cult Initiation Near UNICAL

The Cross River State Police Command has arrested 11 male suspects following a joint operation targeting suspected cult initiation activities near the Engineering Department of the University of Calabar.

The Command said the operation was carried out on October 22, 2026, at about 10:30 a.m., after operatives of its Violent Crime Response Unit, Satellite Town, Calabar, responded to a distress call from the university about suspected cult initiation activities in a nearby bush.

According to the police, the team joined the university’s internal security personnel to cordon off the area, leading to the arrest of the suspects 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.

The Command said items recovered during the operation include “a Lexus 350 saloon car reportedly abandoned by a fleeing individual and three motorcycles,” adding that the items have been secured for investigative purposes.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, reiterated the Command’s resolve to “prevent cultism and other violent crimes through proactive policing, credible intelligence and effective collaboration with relevant stakeholders.”

The Command averred that the investigation is ongoing to establish the individual roles of the suspects, while emphasising that “all suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.”