Fear has gripped some residents of Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital as the Anti-Cult Unit (ACU) of the police crackdown on suspected cultists.
The operatives, who are detailed by the commissioner of police (CP), Waheed Ayilara, to undertake the task, are being accused by residents of human rights abuses.
Several persons reportedly sustained varying degree of injuries while others were feared dead around the Ibom Plaza area of the metropolis including Okokon Etuk, Ekpenyong, Ekpo Obot, Udoh, Eka Streets and parts of Barracks Road.
It was learnt when the dust appeared to have cleared, operatives of the ACU, in over 10 Hilux and Sienna vans, according to Afiong Bassey, a dealer in second – hand clothes and shoes at the plaza area, stormed the vast complex in a Commando style, and started arresting people at random.
However, Ayilara said the action became necessary as the menace of cultism in the state had reached a monstrous level.
He urged members of the public to avoid crime-prone areas as the Plaza axis and environs with all manners of people clustering there, remain high on the watch list of the police.
One of the residents, said among those arrested by the police during the offensive were mostly shop – owners and unsuspecting passersby, who were suddenly marched out from their shops at gun – point, to the waiting vans, without locking their shops.
“Even if they find you inside your shop, they would march you out and forced into the waiting vans. Those, who were able to overcome fear, summoned the courage to confront them with bribe, which they collected and freed the persons.
“The police only came on a reactive operation because when the shoot – out took place, no policemen came to arrest the real culprits. It was only when the hoodlums left, that they came for the innocent people for revenue drive, rather than the pro – active policing that would have de-escalated the situation,” another eye witness, who would not want his name mentioned told our correspondent.
Reliving his terrible experience in the ACU cell, Uduak Mathias, who deals on eye glasses at the plaza, lamented that he was fiercely tortured by an old detainee, with the tag; ‘OC Torture’, who hung him on the wall and subjected him to all manners of indignities, a situation he said, compelled him to cough out N60,000 to pay for his freedom, despite bail being free.
“I was brought into the ACU cell number 7, by the Policemen at about 11: 00pm, after they had taken my statement at the main administrative office. In the morning, those that were brought into the crammed cell of over 30 people during the night, were ordered out for a welcome drilling.
“I was hung on the wall and the leader of the cell popularly called ‘Obama’, gave the instruction that they should drill me to stupor, so that everything I ate including food, meat, beer and others before coming, should gush out for my big tummy to be flattened up for me to start living a life of a prisoner.
“So, on that mandate by ‘Obama’, who gave the order that I hung until I started dancing ‘Awilo’, the ‘OC Torture’ hit different places in my back region including the ribs and back bone were seriously punched for about a minute by the ‘OC Torture’ before I crashed to the ground, and they started laughing.
“I was then made to face ‘Obama’ himself, who gave me the routine of the cubicle, and the cost of every section that has been divided into three – AC section, closer to the door at N20,000; the VIP section, where wrappers are spread for rich detainees, also for N20,000, and the general place, where people are arranged to squat from the wall to the near half of the room, for N10,000.
“Since I didn’t have the cash, I was made to squat amongst the common inmates pending the time my people would come to see me. And, at night, after the last counting by the cells’ supervisors overseeing the eight cells, the worst time which I can’t even wish my enemy, came.
“A teenage boy, called ‘OC Stacking’ would come and ordered everyone, except those on the VIP and AC list, to stand. He would begin his job of stacking the ‘prisoners’ for all the over 30 detainees to ‘sleep’ within a certain circumference of the box – like room, filled with stench of cigarettes, Indian hemp, toilet, human pollutions, sweat and smoke from mosquito coils.
“Like dead bodies, we were stacked in such a way that everyone must sleep on either right or left side of your body with your curved elbow as your pillow on the concrete floor in same position till the early morning hours at about 5:00am, when the cell ‘pastors’ and ‘clergies’ would rouse everyone for prayers, gospel songs and confessional prayers for God to intervene in your case.”
Others, who narrated their ordeals including Victor Akpan, a dealer in jewelries and ornamental items and Clement Effiong, who deals on shoes and men’s wears at the plaza, said they paid N50,000 and N80,000 respectively to be freed from the dungeon called ACU cells.
“I had to mobilise tenants in my house to rally the money to bail me out, otherwise, I would have been a dead man today if I had stayed a day longer than necessary because several people fainted there after gasping for air,” Victor recalled.
