More than 3000 persons have been displaced as a result of rival cult clashes in Inen community, OrukAnam local government area of Akwa Ibom State.
The displaced persons, who are now taking shelter in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp created by the community, are seeking the intervention of the state government and donor agencies to ameliorate their sufferings.
It was gathered that bloody cult clashes between Debam and Iceland confraternities affected over 3,000 persons who were forced to seek shelter in Ikot Ibritam, the headquarters of the council area.
One of the victims identified as Aniema Etuk left the IDP camp on Tuesday for the deserted village to get food from the farm to feed her children, but was intercepted by some cultists who beat her up and left several machete cuts on her.
Narrating her experience, Etuk told our correspondent at a hospital in Uyo that the cultists caught up with her at Inen junction and beat her up, leaving her for death.
“I am a widow.
“I fled from Inen Ikot Offiong when activities of the cultists became unbearable.
“I ran away the day cultists set the police post ablaze.
“The building was very close to my house.
“So I picked my children and ran to Christ Faith Church, Ikot Ibritamat the council headquarters where all of us in the community are taking refuge as refugees.
“On Monday, my children were very hungry and were crying for food.
“Then, I moved to the village at about 10am to bring food items from my farm for my children.
“As I arrived Inen junction close to my house, the cultists numbering 20 shouted at me to stop.
“They came in groups and slapped me one by one.
“Two of them brought out matchete and left cuts on my back, leg, hands, in fact, all parts of my body.
“I don’t know how my children are going to survive in the church premises now.
“Here I need money for food and drugs and to pay for my medical bills,” she stated.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of Inen Stakeholders Forum, Mr Anyanime Umoren, said indigenes of the community in diaspora are concerned about the plight of people who fled the community in the wake of cult hostilities in the area.
He stated that they have contributed money to buy food items for the people at the IDP camp in Ikot Ibritam.
He urged the government, especially the wife of the Governor, Mrs Martha Emmanuel, to intervene in the plight of the refugees and visit the vulnerable women at the camp by extending helping hands to the needy.
“We discovered that the food items could not go round for about 3,000 refugees in the camp including women and children.
“We decided to stop sharing to avoid uproar in the camp.
“Right now we have levied our people so that we can raise money and buy more foodstuffs for the people.
“We are pleading with donor agencies and the Government to save the displaced persons from hunger and starvation, while government is tackling the wave of cultism and all forms of hostilities in the area.
Reacting to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Mcdon, said the command was tackling cultism in the area.
He said there was an on going special operations in the area to bring pepetrators of the nefarious cult activities to book.
“There is a special operations in the area to fish out the cultists terrorizing the community,” he said.
