A police dragnet has caught up with two suspected cultists in Ikpe Usung Ita, Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The suspects, identified as Emmanuel Udo Ukut, 41 years old, and Marshall Asuquo John, 42 years old, were smoked out during a targeted operation to recover stolen phones and arrest individuals linked to the crime.
This was contained in a press release by DSP Timfon John, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Akwa Ibom State Police Command in Uyo, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
According to the PPRO, operatives of the Command had, on Monday, August 25, 2025, initiated an investigation into a case of stealing, during which the two suspects, believed to be cultists, were nabbed in Ikpe Usung Ita, Obot Akara LGA.
She disclosed that a search of the suspects led to the recovery of several items, including one single-barrelled den gun, three live cartridges, one expanded cartridge, a black beret with cult insignia, a black hood suspected to be used as a facemask, a black belt, and three mobile phones: a Tecno Spark 30, a Vivo Y15S, and a small Itel phone. It added that the police team also found a black nylon bag containing a substance suspected to be gunpowder.
DSP Timfon John further stated that the two suspects are currently in police custody while the investigation is ongoing, and further developments will be made known to the public.
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Part of the press release read, “On Monday, August 25, 2025, at approximately 0400 hours, operatives of the Command, while investigating a case of stealing, arrested two suspected cultists in Ikpe Usung Ita, Obot Akara Local Government Area.
The suspects, identified as Emmanuel Udo Ukut, 41 years, and Marshall Asuquo John, 42 years, were apprehended during a targeted operation to recover stolen phones and arrest individuals linked to the crime.
A search of the suspects led to the recovery of several items, including one single-barrelled den gun, three live cartridges, one expanded cartridge, a black beret with cult insignia, a black hood suspected to be used as a facemask, a black belt, three mobile phones (a Tecno Spark 30, a Vivo Y15S, and a small Itel phone), and a black nylon bag containing a substance suspected to be gunpowder.
