By Aplefe Ojong
Residents of some parts of Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State are said to have celebrated the first day in the year, 2015 in fear and trepidation.
This is because some hoodlums and youths suspected to be cultists moved from street to street molesting and dispossessing residents of the area around the Watt market of their valuable such as money, phones and other items.
Reports reaching CrossRiverWatch from the area indicate that the street kids and young cultists, between age 5-14 popularly known as Columbos, went on rampage snatching phones, handbags and other collectibles along Calabar road, post office, Watt roundabout and Bedwell by Con oil gas station axis in Calabar.
Our reporter who witnessed series of the snatchings from a hidden location for safety say the kids boldly approached their victims in large numbers with small knives. Policemen who are usually stationed around these axis were nowhere to be found as people and vehicle owners ran for their lives just as the last patrol van zoomed off almost crashing into another vehicle.
The young cultists operation which started around 7.00pm lasted for more than 90 minutes without any help from security agencies and as at the time of filling in this report, and when the reporter left the area, there was no police men in sight to check the ravaging cultists.
People who heard the story of the activities of the popular Columbos boys decided to divert and took alternative routes, thereby worsening the already terrible traffic grid in some areas of the city in spite of the mass exodus of people from Calabar to their various villages for the Christmas and New Year celebration.
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