17 cultists with assorted arms and ammunition have been arrested in Oku Iboku, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.
The arrest was made by the 2 Brigade Nigeria Army.
In a statement released in Uyo on Sunday by Capt. Shuaib Umar, spokesman of the brigade, the arrest was made following a successful raid on hideouts of armed cultists at Oku and Itu bridges.
The bridges which are located at the boundary between Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, is known to be hideout for armed bandits.
According to the statement, “During the raid, we arrested 17 cultists with assorted arms and ammunition, including two G3 rifles, two pump action rifles, five locally made pump action rifles, and four G3 magazines.
“We also recovered 16 machetes, 125 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO, 223 live cartridges, among others.
“Also recovered were a pair of military camouflage uniform, a camouflage T shirt, camouflage singlet, a cardigan, 10 mobile phones, a bag of charms, a bag of clothes and one wrap of Indian hemp,” it said.
While continuing, he said that the army recovered N29,700 cash and three motorcycles.
That Maj. Gen. Abdu Ibrahim Hassan, the brigade commander, has assured members of the public of adequate protection against miscreants and cultists.
“We shall do everything possible to rid the area of such irritants, but our success will depend on the support we get from members of the people; everyone must be ready to report any form of crime to us,” he concluded.
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