A young man from Mkpani community in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State has been brutally attacked and inflicted with deep machete cuts by suspected cult members.
Residents have described it as another episode in the spiralling drug and cult war rocking the area.
Name of the victim was not immediately known.
The latest incident, which occurred on Wednesday, adds to the rising tide of violent clashes linked to cult groups across Yakurr LGA, including Ugep, the local government headquarters.
On October 30, 2025, a similar attack was recorded when one Mr. Felix Ebri Inah sustained severe machete wounds to the head in what locals called the same “signature style” of assault.
Residents say the recurring pattern and ruthless precision of the attacks have left communities fearful, as cult clashes fueled by drug abuse continue to surge.
Barely a fortnight ago in Ugep town, a woman and her daughter were struck by stray bullets during a violent confrontation involving suspected members of the Bagga confraternity.
Eyewitnesses said the cultists fired indiscriminately in public, leaving residents terrified and grieving.
In a statement issued in Calabar, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, a traditional leader in Ugep and former presidential aide, alleged that suspicions are rife that a government official in Yakurr may have links with the cult group.
He described the situation as “a shocking breach of public trust and a dangerous contradiction in governance.”
“How can individuals suspected of enabling violence be entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding peace?” He queried and urged authorities to urgently investigate and cleanse the system of criminal infiltration.
Obono-Obla, a lawyer, said he has submitted petitions to the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, and other security agencies to intervene and halt the bloodletting.
He warned that “Boko Haram began as a low-grade group of political thugs and urban urchins before mutating into a murderous terrorist organization,” stressing that the government must act swiftly before the menace in Yakurr turns into a full-blown security crisis.
Chairman of Yakurr Local Government, Hon. Yibala Igiri Inyang, said security agencies have since consolidated their presence in the area and that investigations into the attacks are ongoing.
