From Musa Muhammad Kutama, Calabar
A violent clash between rival cult groups has left one person dead during the funeral rites of a community leader in Ekori, Cross River State, throwing the community into shock and mourning.
The victim, Samuel Sampson Udo, a former President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) at the Peace Institute of Management and Technology (Peace Poly), Abak, Akwa Ibom State, was gunned down during the wake-keeping ceremony of his late father.
Witnesses said the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on October 31, 2025, when a confrontation broke out between two rival cult gangs.
“The laughter and songs suddenly turned to screams. Gunshots filled the air as people ran into their homes and locked their doors,” a resident, Utum Ofem Ubi, told our correspondent. Udo was hit by multiple bullets while attempting to flee and died on the spot.
A 29-year-old woman, Miss Choice Ikenger, and several others sustained serious injuries, with bullets reportedly still lodged in her body.
His sister, Miss Affiong Sampson, said the family had been thrown into deep grief since the killing, lamenting that he was shot “as if he was an animal,” and that the family had not recovered from the shock.
Cult-related killings have risen sharply in Cross River State, with at least nine deaths recorded in 2025 alone. Communities across Akamkpa, Ikom, and Yakurr Local Government Areas have witnessed repeated attacks, including a retaliation killing that left five people dead in Camp 2 Mfamosing community in April.
Two more deaths were recorded in Ikom later in the year during a clash between the Vikings and KK confraternities.
Residents say the violence has eroded the future of many young people, whose lives are now consumed by the cycle of cult rivalry.
The spread of cultism in the state remains deeply rooted in harsh initiation rites that include beatings, forced killings, and blood-drinking rituals.
Recruits are often compelled to commit crimes to prove loyalty. Some cult members believe these rituals make them bulletproof or invisible to enemies, a belief that continues to fuel violent encounters.
The university environment is not spared, as both the University of Calabar (UNICAL) and the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) continue to grapple with cult-related insecurity.
The violence has in some cases disrupted examinations, with students reportedly fleeing exam halls when gunshots erupted.
A final-year student, Felix Egot, was recently killed on campus by suspected cultists. Earlier incidents include a student shot in UNICAL’s hostel area in 2017, the arrest of five students for cultism in 2019, and the 2012 shooting of Associate Professor Felix Akpan, which many linked to campus violence.
Many residents blame the government and security agencies for failing to tackle the issue decisively.
A social critic, Mbeh Egbe, accused authorities of allowing killers to “get away with murder” because perpetrators are rarely arrested or punished.
A criminologist, Dr. Asuquo Etim, said cultism is driven by unemployment, poverty, and the quest for power, warning that the phenomenon thrives where young people have few alternatives.
A community leader, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, condemned the rising violence and warned that the situation could escalate into a full-scale blood conflict if not addressed.
He accused certain political actors, misguided youth leaders, and compromised community figures of fueling social decay and undermining peace.
The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Igiri Ewa, said the command had launched discreet investigations to track down the killers.
He assured that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice. But residents say fear still grips the community.
A youth leader in Ekori, Omini Ebri, said the situation has left families terrified for the future of their children. According to him, the community “is living in a state of constant fear,” and only urgent action from the government, security agencies, and local leaders can break the cycle of violence that continues to claim lives across the state.
