Akwa Ibom, Police Go After Ekpo Masquerades Over Attacks On Residents

‎Akwa Ibom State authorities has expressed interest implicit the menace of Ekpo masquerades pursuing the caller attacks connected unsuspecting members of the public, including a pistillate pupil of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), who escaped being killed by the masquerades.

LEADERSHIP Friday gathered that a near-death incidental of convulsive onslaught of a pistillate pupil of the UNIUYO successful a colony wrong the Uyo section authorities area, was averted by vigilant youths erstwhile the masquerades inflicted heavy machete cuts connected the caput and different parts of the students.

Addressing a forum of paramount rulers successful Uyo, the authorities capital, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Frank Archibong, expressed dismay astatine the menace, saying specified unruly behaviours stay unacceptable and intolerable “because it’s not successful enactment with the existent civilization and norms of the people.”

Archibong, who frowned astatine wide reports of the menace posed by Ekpo masquerades successful immoderate parts of the authorities concerning cases of wilful harassment and brutalisation of members of the public, appealed to the royal fathers and the constabulary to beryllium successful the vanguard of checking and regulating masquerades’ activities.

He acknowledged Ekpo masquerade arsenic an integral constituent of African taste heritage. Still, helium warned that their behaviour indispensable beryllium wrong the limits of the norms and laws governing quality nine “in a mode that respects the dignity, information and rights of the people.”

The commissioner noted that utilizing it arsenic an instrumentality of threat, sidesplitting and different anti-social activities violates the archetypal intentions.

Meanwhile, the authorities constabulary bid nether the enactment of the commissioner of constabulary (CP), Baba Azare, has warned individuals and groups utilizing masquerade festivals arsenic a screen for transgression activities.

Azare expressed interest and disappointment implicit the caller inclination of immoderate masquerades, whose behaviour should service arsenic the accepted awesome of taste heritage, entertainment, and celebration, being progressive successful a scope of illicit acts.

He listed the amerciable activities of the masquerades to include: aiding and abetting crimes, unlawful possession of firearms, assaulting members of the nationalist unjustly and peddling of hard drugs.

“Masquerades are meant to bring joyousness and showcase our affluent taste identity, not to service arsenic a disguise for transgression elements. It is utterly disheartening to spot this revered contented being desecrated by a fewer misguided individuals tarnishing our taste values,” the commissioner said.

He emphasised that “the constabulary bid volition nary longer tolerate this menace” and warned that “anyone caught utilizing masquerade costumes to perpetrate specified heinous acts volition look the afloat wrath of the law.

“The bid volition intensify its intelligence-gathering efforts and operations to place and apprehend those involved.

“My connection to these criminals is clear: desist from these acts instantly oregon beryllium prepared to look the consequences. The agelong limb of the instrumentality volition drawback up with you, and you volition beryllium brought to book. We volition not let a fewer atrocious apples to spoil the estimation of our vibrant taste heritage,” Azare declared.