Cult war: Police in manhunt for two UNICAL students

Cross River state police command and University of Calabar authorities are in manhunt for two final year students of the institution after assorted cult materials and dangerous weapons were reportedly recovered in their hostel.
A press statement from the office of the public relation officer of the university, made available to our reporter yesterday gave the name of the students as Augustine Ebri Nkanu (aka Abacha) and Obimbua Obey Joseph (aka Obe).
It said eleven other suspected cultists had been arrested and were being detained by the Police.
The release read in part: “A final year student of the Faculty of Law and resident of Hall 4, Nkanu, Augustine Ebri (Abacha) and Obimbua Obey Joseph (AKA: Obe), also a final year student of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences are on the run following the discovery of dangerous items in Nkanu’s room by operatives of the security unit of the university.
“Items recovered from the room include one locally made pistol, one small axe, one face mask, live and expended cartridges, military camoufl age, military sweater, one long dagger, one machete, assorted bottles of concoctions, charms/finger rings, assorted phones, cult regalia, drugs/wraps of Indian hemp and a host of others.
The dangerous items have been handed over to the AntiCultism Unit of the Nigeria Police, Cross River state command for further investigation.
” The university further said that management, “has deployed heavy and intense security around and within the institution following the killing of two students by gunmen in a suspected renewed wave of secret cult groups clash on campus”.
“A release issued by the Registrar of the institution, Mr. Moses Abang, indicates that the patrolling/combing exercise has paid off with the arrest of 11 suspected cultists who have been handed over to the Anti-Cultism/ Kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police, Cross River state command for further interrogation,” it further said.
According to the university authorities, “on March 16, 2018, gunmen launched unsuspecting attacks on one Oko Sylvester Ayide (aka Davido), a final year student of the Department of Theatre, Film and Carnival Studies, University of Calabar and Wilson Augustine Ebina, a 2nd year student of the Department of Education Science (Chem Edu.
) in a violent manner that resulted in their death.
“Investigation revealed that, prior to his death, Oko Sylvester, who was shot on the stomach had been on suspension for his involvement in various acts of cultism and robbery while Wilson Ebina was shot dead at a building under construction opposite the Faculty of Education Twin Theatre Hall.
Both are said to belong to the Vikings Confraternity.
” Our reporter gathered that the cult fight which rocked the university became violent last weekend with the reported gunning down of three students.
Although eyewitness had put casualty figures at three, spokesman for the Cross River state police command, Irene Ugbo, claimed that only one student died.
However, peace seemed to have returned to the troubled institution as students and staff were seen yesterday continuing their normal activities even as both uniform and plain clothes security personnel, lurk around monitoring situations.