Cultists kill policeman, snatch deputy governor’s pilot vehicle in Calabar

jchima

Dare devil cultists on Thursday night snatched the pilot vehicle of the Cross River State deputy governor, Prof Ivara Esu, shooting the driver and a policeman dead in the process, The Nation gathered on Friday.

The incident happened along Goldie Street opposite the NNPC filling station in Calabar at about 7pm, when the pilot vehicle ran into a group of heavily armed cultists who were marching along the streets in the area.The state capital has been under siege since last Sunday following a renewed clash between rival cult groups in the city. Since then about 15 deaths have been reported due to the conflict. On Tuesday night a Police Inspector was killed along Nkwa Street in Calabar, while on patrol by a group of cultists.

A source narrated, “After the executive council meeting at the Governor’s office in Calabar yesterday (Thursday), the pilot vehicle led others cars as they escorted the deputy governor to his house.

“After dropping him off, the vehicle proceeded to drop the security men in the vehicle in their houses. While they were driving along that Goldie Street axis, they ran into a traffic jam caused by a group of cultists operating in the area. The cultists, numbering over 20, were armed with guns and machetes. When the cultists descended on the pilot vehicle, they shot the driver and drove off with the car. The other people in the car scampered for safety.”

Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the saying incident of Thursday evening, saying the shot policeman did not make it.

But Ugbo denied that the cultists drove off with the vehicle, saying it had been recovered.

She said no arrests have been made yet, though investigations were ongoing.

Source: http://nigerianewstoday.com.ng/cultists-kill-policeman-snatch-deputy-governors-pilot-vehicle-in-calabar/