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The Cross River State Police Command has arrested a 24-year-old man, Emmanuel Ejim Ejim, in connection with a viral video believed to depict suspected cult members in a moving vehicle firing shots sporadically within the Calabar metropolis.
Command spokesman, ASP Sunday Eitokpah disclosed this in a Saturday statement.
Eitokpah said the suspect, a student of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), was arrested following the circulation of the video in the early hours of Thursday, September 17.
He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Ajo Geoffrey Ordue, had ordered the immediate identification and arrest of those involved.
Following the directive, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, and operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) commenced an intelligence-led operation at about 11:30 p.m. on September 17.
“The operation led to the identification and tracking of the vehicle captured in the viral footage, and resulted in the arrest of its driver.
“Information obtained during the operation assisted the police in tracing a key suspect to a hotel in Calabar, where he was arrested,” the statement reads in part.
Eitokpah said preliminary investigation showed that the suspect allegedly identified himself as a leader of the Vikings Confraternity and admitted to being the person seen firing shots in the video.
The command spokesman quoted the suspect as saying that he had participated in a sign-out activity on the day of the incident and that the pistol used was handed to him by another suspected member of the group.
The command said efforts have been intensified to arrest other persons connected with the incident, while the circumstances surrounding possession of the firearm and movement of the vehicle are under investigation.
Eitokpah said the CP directed that the investigation be conducted professionally and comprehensively, with all persons found to have participated in or facilitated the act to be brought to justice.
The command reiterated that unlawful discharge of firearms in public places poses a serious security threat and urged members of the public to promptly report suspicious movements, possession of firearms and cult-related activities to the police.
