Joseph Odok|14 July 2017
Cross River State has lost all sense of peace especially in the present administration. There is infiltration of small fire arms and dangerous weapons in all nooks and crannies of the State. This is because of increase in cult activities tacitly encouraged by the Ben Ayade's government.
Upon assumption in office, the Cross River State governor based his condition for appointment into his government on being a member of a cult group. Being a cultist therefore became a qualification criteria for appointment into Ayade's government.
Secondly, Ayade created so many extortion revenue agencies that were headed by kingpins of cult groups. The boys began to use available resources generated by these agencies to acquire arms and dangerous weapons to arm their different confraternities.
In my village Ogep Osokom, there was an open display of arms when Sen John Owan-Enoh visited Boki in his familiarization tour to APC. The security was at it's worst. The boys sprang into open robbery of those who were mobilized after the visit. The 150,000.00 Senator John Owan Enoh gave to Borum/Njua Ward, Kakwagom/Bawop ward and Ogep Osokom ward were ceased by the boys.
The case of my ward chairman, Chief Enyia was pathetic. He was brutalized and his wind screen smashed. There was open display of guns and breach in security. The occasion turned into a gathering of different cult groups for open robbery and display of guns
Recommendations:
1. APC Cross River State must read the handwriting on the wall and begin a massive campaign against cultism using Federal government institutions. It's obvious that the governor is prepared to rig the incoming elections through the different cult groups he has infiltrated his government with different appointments.
2. APC must begin a process of recovering arms and ammunitions from different cult groups.
3. Steps should be taken to identify and arrest cultists from different villages. Upon arrest, any politician that come around to bail any cultist should be identified and marked as a sponsor of cultist.
4. Cultist in Ayade's government should be made to openly denounce cultism.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Joseph Odok
Social Change Agent
