40 CROSS RIVER YOUTHS ABANDON CULTISM, COMMIT TO PEACEFUL LIVING

About 40 youths in Abini Community, Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State, have renounced their membership of cult groups and pledged to embrace peaceful and law-abiding lifestyles.

The youths, who were associated with the Vikings, Klans and Axemen groups, made the commitment on August 26, 2026, during a sensitisation and engagement programme organised by the Cross River State Police Command in partnership with the Abini Elites Association and the LauraHope Foundation.

The Abini Elites Association, which participated in the initiative, comprises the Clan Head and Chiefs of the community. The programme was designed to engage young people directly and address some of the factors that could push them towards cultism and other forms of criminality.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, the initiative formed part of the command's proactive and community-based approach to preventing crime in the state.

The sensitisation programme focused on the dangers associated with cultism, drug abuse, unlawful possession of firearms and other social vices that threaten the safety and development of young people and their communities.

The Commissioner of Police, Ajo-Geoffrey Ordue, who was represented at the event by the Divisional Police Officer of Yakurr Division, CSP Innocent Ayabotu, urged the youths to reject criminal activities and take up positive roles in promoting peace and development within their community.

The police commissioner said the decision by the youths to renounce cultism demonstrated the importance of early intervention, intelligence gathering and community engagement in tackling criminal networks.

He stressed that effective security could not be achieved through enforcement alone, noting that cooperation between the police, traditional institutions, community leaders, civil society organisations and residents was necessary to address the root causes of insecurity.

Ordue commended the traditional rulers, community stakeholders, LauraHope Foundation and the participating youths for supporting the initiative and contributing to the effort to create a safer environment in Cross River.

The command also assured residents that it would continue combining intelligence-led policing with preventive measures and community partnerships to discourage young people from joining criminal groups.

The police said the approach would also focus on protecting vulnerable youths, disrupting the recruitment activities of criminal networks and encouraging young people to become agents of peace and positive development in their communities.

The development marks another community-level effort by the Cross River State Police Command to prevent cult-related violence by engaging youths before they become deeply involved in criminal activities.