By Abdullahi InuwaÂ
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has intensified its crackdown on criminal activities, recovering a stolen Toyota Hilux and arresting a suspected cultist allegedly linked to the Black Axe Confraternity.
The latest breakthrough came on August 7, 2026, when police operatives on routine patrol spotted two men driving a Toyota Hilux with registration number NYA 399 AA, which had reportedly been stolen a day earlier from Udo Eduok Street, off Aka Road, Uyo.
According to the Command, the suspects took to their heels after sighting the police and were chased until they reached a non-motorable road, where they abandoned the vehicle and escaped into a nearby bush.
The owner of the vehicle, identified as Mr Reginald, was contacted and subsequently confirmed that the recovered Hilux belonged to him.
The police said the vehicle had been taken into custody for investigation, while efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects.
In a separate operation later the same day, police operatives arrested a 21-year-old man, Emmanuel Emmanson, from Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, during a stop-and-search operation along Abak Road, near the Federal Secretariat in Uyo.
Three live cartridges were reportedly recovered from the suspect.
Preliminary investigations, the Command said, indicated that Emmanson allegedly admitted being a member of the Black Axe Confraternity and claimed that the cartridges were meant for a cult initiation exercise in a bush.
The suspect remains in police custody as investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and identify other alleged members of the group.
The Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, commended the officers involved in both operations for what he described as vigilance and professionalism.
He assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led operations, stop-and-search exercises and other proactive policing strategies aimed at preventing crime and protecting lives and property across the state.
The police also appealed to residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, vehicles and activities to security agencies.
The Command said information from members of the public remains vital to its efforts to disrupt cult activities, recover stolen property and prevent other criminal activities in Akwa Ibom.
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