by crossriverwatch admin
Barely two weeks after one person was killed when angry youths and the police clashed in Ogoja, the northern part of Cross River State, another violent clash between two rival secret cult groups has left two youths dead.
The clash, which took place in Sunday night reportedly started at the burial of a woman, Ma Alice Ogboja when the cult groups said to be Norsemen and Klux Klan engaged each other in a free for all fight following an argument between two young men who belong to the rival groups.
“The argument was simply between two young men but no sooner had we intervened to stop the exchange of words that other young men from both groups joined and a fight ensued”. Clemenson Mgbe told CrossRiverWatch in Ogoja.
According to Clemenson, the burial took place in the village of Akpakpanga, some two kilometers from Igoli, the Ogoja central town.
“The trouble started when a boy slapped a girl who is nursing a baby and her boyfriend who is a cultist confronted him and an argument started and when his members came, a fight ensued and one of them rushed home and brought a machete with which he inflicted a cut on one of the boys and that escalated matters”. Clemenson said.
It was to retaliate the machete cut on their member that opposing members mobilized that night to attack members of the other group.
“They went from house to house where the other members lived and a fierce battle ensued and two boys were killed and the properties of those who they could not find at home were set ablaze.”
When CrossRiverWatch visited Ogoja on Monday afternoon, the streets of Abakpa were the fight is concentrated were deserted as most young people had run away while shops and business outlets remained shut for fear of attack.
In a SOS message to CrossRiverWatch from one Mr. Ogar Wilson, he called for the urgent intervention of the state government: “Pls communicate to the governor of Cross River State that the life of people leaving in Ogoja and Abakpa is no longer safe because cultists are killing and destroying the properties of innocent people leaving in the area. Government should please deploy soldiers to this area as a matter of urgency to save people please. My family and I were attacked last night at about 8pm. They broke glasses of car and shot at our car from behind.”
The Clan Head of Abakpa, Chief Aruku said he has appealed to the boys to allow shops to open and the Abakpa market to sell on Tuesday.
“Many people come from far places like Lagos, Abakaliki, Calabar and Akwa Ibom State to buy and sell here and if the market fails to hold it would be a bad thing not just for us but those coming from afar”.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the Cross River State Police Command, Hogan Bassey said “there was a clash like that; you know with the strike, many boys are at home and such things are a likely occurrence when youths are idle”.
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