Akwa Ibom State Police Command says its operatives have raided a criminal hideout in Abak road, Uyo and arrested three members of vikings confraternity among whom was a fresh Initiate, Ubong Matthew.
The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John who disclosed this in a statement in Uyo Monday says investigations revealed that Ubong Matthew was alleged to have been forcefully initiated into the cult group on July 5, 2026, during a ceremony reportedly masterminded by Dick Udofia at the same location.
She said the suspects, who are students of a certain polytechnic ( name withheld), are currently assisting the Police with useful information while efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
She said during the raid, officers recovered substances suspected to be Ice (Methamphetamine), cannabis commonly referred to as Indian hemp, and other items linked to drug consumption.
The command spokesperson said in a separate operation, operatives arrested one Joshua Akpan, a 32-year-old security guard employed by a private security company.
She said the arrest followed actionable intelligence linking the suspect to a syndicate that specializes in vandalizing and stealing armoured electrical cables and other electrical installations from churches, residential buildings, factories, and government facilities.
She said a search conducted at the suspect’s residence pursuant to a duly executed search warrant led to the recovery of cut-to-size armoured cables, bundles of vandalized electrical wires, pliers, an iron-cutting blade, a hammer, and other tools suspected to have been used in committing the crimes.
The statement added, “during interrogation, the suspect confessed to vandalizing and stealing electrical cables from Catholic Cathedral where he had been employed as a security guard. Investigations are ongoing to arrest other members of the criminal syndicate still at large and recover additional stolen property.”
She said the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare while commending the professionalism, vigilance, and swift response of the operatives involved in both operations warned against criminality and crimes even as he urged the public to always avail the police with actionable intelligence.
