With criminal activities unsettling communities in Odukpani, traditional rulers in the area have resorted to a traditional injunction aimed at exposing and deterring cultists, murderers and their collaborators.
The monarchs declared that anyone involved in bloodshed or harbouring criminals would no longer find refuge in their communities, warning that a traditional injunction had been placed to expose and punish perpetrators of violent crimes.
The decision followed the killing of two residents, identified as Okon Bassey and Okon Akpan Eshiet, whose mutilated bodies were reportedly discovered in shallow graves after they were allegedly murdered by suspected cultists last month in the Akai Ibonda and Ukim Ita communities.
Speaking on Thursday, after a congress attended by village heads, youth leaders and women groups, prominent traditional rulers, including Bassey Eyo Ita Essien and Efiom Eyo Ekpo, said the measure had become necessary to restore peace and strengthen security across Odukpani.
According to the monarchs, the traditional injunction would apply to anyone residing in the communities whose hands are stained with blood. They warned that sponsors and collaborators of criminal activities must either repent or leave the area.
The rulers also announced plans to reorganise the community’s security architecture in collaboration with the Cross River State Government, stressing that Odukpani would no longer serve as a safe haven for cultists, killers and other violent offenders.
They said the renewed security strategy would include enhanced surveillance by village heads, improved intelligence gathering and information sharing among community stakeholders, as well as closer collaboration with security agencies operating in the area.
One of the suspects arrested in connection with the killings, identified as Akaninyene Eshiet, was reportedly said to have told investigators that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the deaths of some of his family members several years ago.
The traditional rulers, however, insisted that no grievance could justify murder and vowed to support security agencies in ensuring that all those connected to the killings are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Odukpani Local Government Area, Etim Asido, represented by the council secretary, condemned the killings, describing them as cruel, barbaric and unacceptable.
He pledged the council’s support for lawful measures aimed at ending cult-related violence and other forms of criminality in the area.
Asido added that the state government shares the resolve of the affected communities to ensure that such incidents do not recur in Odukpani or any part of Cross River State.