Traditional rulers in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State have taken an extraordinary step in response to rising violence in their communities, invoking a traditional curse on cultists, killers and anyone accused of harbouring criminals.
The decision came after growing outrage over the gruesome killing of two residents, identified as Okon Bassey and Okon Akpan Eshiet, whose bodies were reportedly discovered in shallow graves in the Akai Ibonda and Ukim Ita communities after they were allegedly murdered by suspected cultists last month.
At a congress held on Thursday and attended by village heads, youth leaders, women groups and other community stakeholders, the monarchs declared that enough was enough. They said Odukpani communities could no longer continue to serve as safe ground for violent criminals while innocent residents live in fear.
Leading the charge were prominent traditional rulers, including Bassey Eyo Ita Essien and Efiom Eyo Ekpo, who announced that a traditional injunction had been placed across the affected communities. According to them, the curse is aimed at exposing anyone involved in bloodshed, as well as those shielding, sponsoring or collaborating with cultists and other violent offenders.
The monarchs warned that anyone with “blood on their hands” would no longer find peace or refuge in the area. They insisted that the traditional action was not just symbolic, but a desperate response to the worsening insecurity that has unsettled many families in Odukpani.
Beyond the spiritual and cultural sanction, the rulers also unveiled plans to tighten local security. They said the communities would begin a fresh reorganisation of their internal security structure in collaboration with the Cross River State Government and conventional security agencies.
Part of the new strategy, they said, would include closer monitoring by village heads, stronger intelligence gathering, improved information sharing among residents and local leaders, and more active collaboration with security personnel operating in the area. Their message was blunt: Odukpani will no longer be a hiding place for cultists, killers and criminal gangs.
The latest crisis appears to have deepened after the arrest of a suspect identified as Akaninyene Eshiet, who was reportedly linked to the killings. According to information cited during the congress, the suspect allegedly told investigators that the attack was carried out in retaliation for the deaths of some of his family members years ago.
But the monarchs rejected any attempt to justify the killings on grounds of revenge. They said no grievance, no matter how old or painful, could excuse murder, brutality or the desecration of human life. They vowed to work with security agencies to ensure that everyone connected to the crime is tracked down and brought to justice.
The development has once again thrown a spotlight on the fragile security situation in parts of Cross River, where cult-related violence, communal tensions and reprisals have continued to threaten peace in several communities.
Also reacting to the incident, the Chairman of Odukpani Local Government Area, Etim Asido, through the council secretary, condemned the killings in strong terms. He described the murder of the two residents as barbaric, cruel and completely unacceptable, assuring residents that the local council would support all lawful efforts aimed at ending cult violence and criminality in the area.
Asido further said the state government shares the pain and anger of the affected communities and is committed to ensuring that such bloodshed does not happen again in Odukpani or any other part of Cross River State.
For many residents, however, the latest move by the monarchs reflects just how desperate the security situation has become. In a region where fear, silence and reprisals have often allowed violence to thrive, traditional rulers are now stepping beyond ceremonial roles and openly confronting criminal networks they believe have turned parts of Odukpani into killing fields.
The real question now is whether the curse, the arrests and the promised security crackdown will finally break the cycle of cult violence — or whether Odukpani is heading into an even more dangerous phase of confrontation.
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