1 killed, 29 arrested in cult clashes

No fewer than 29 people have been arrested over the killing of a man at Masaka in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The dead man, whose name was given simply as Ibrahim, was said to have met his fate on June 15 during a cult clash.

The Spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP. Samaila Usman, confirmed the development in an interview with a NAN correspondent on Sunday in Lafia.

Usman explained that two young men were earlier brought to the Masaka Police Station at about 11:30 p.m. on June 13 with various degrees of injuries.

He said that investigations revealed that the injuries were sustained during a cult clash at Angwan Jaba community in Masaka.

Usman said that on June 15, the command received information that rival cults had mobilised again for reprisal attack at Angwan Tiv village in Masaka during which Ibrahim was killed.

“A combined team of police officers were immediately dispatched to the area to bring the situation under control.

“But our men met stiff resistance from the cult members, numbering about 50.

“We were, however, able to disperse them while five of them were arrested at the scene and 24 others arrested later at different locations in the area.”

Usman said that one Hassan later reported at the Masaka Police Station that his cousin, named Ibrahim was macheted to death at Angwan Tiv.

“So, the police immediately mobilised to the place and collected the corpse but the parents refused us taking the corpse to the mortuary.”

The spokesman pleaded with members of the public to assist the police with useful information that would help to check the menace of cultism and other criminal activities in the Masaka area.

“There are concentrations of organised cult groups in Angwa Tiv and Angwa Jaba in Karu but we are on top of the situation.

“That is why we have launched ‘Operation Fish Out’ and created anti-cultism units to fight cultism in Nasarawa State.”