On Saturday, hoodlums said to be members of the Iceland Confraternity killed two people who were returning from a vigil in Etim Ekpo LGA of Akwa Ibom state.

The victims were said to be natives of Okoyo village in the state’s Ukanafun Local Government Area.

According to an informant, “they were killed near Akpan Ido compound at about 4:00 am in Ikot Ese village, while returning from a night prayer organized by the New Church in Ikot Ese community.

“The victims were Nkereuwem Ime Udo Ekere and Effioyo Emmanuel, who were said to be returning from a night vigil organized by the New Church at Ikot Ese village.

“These people were attending a night prayer, a crusade at the New Church in Ikot Ese village. They own a gospel band that some Churches and other events planners would hire for their occasion”, he said.

“After the prayer session, they left the church as early as 4:00 am on a motorcycle heading towards Okoyo village in Ukanafun Local Government Area, but were ambushed a few meters from the church near Enen Akpan Ido and shot dead”, he added.

“The motorcycle rider died instantly, while the passenger who fled with serious bullet wounds later collapsed and died.

“Many people have lost their lives trying to navigate the labyrinthine road from Ikot Ese to connect the Urua Obo Inyang market axis that leads to Okoyo and other areas in the neighboring Ukanafun Local Government Area.

“It is the continuation of the cult war between the Icelanders (the Red) and the Debam (the White) because this supremacy war has been ongoing in the last couple of months and, if you check, the assailant did not steal the motorcycle or any other valuables from them,” he pointed out.

According to reports, the fresh killings bring the total number of cult-related killings in Etim Ekpo Local Government to four, following the recent deaths of two people in the Obong Ntak and Udianga Enem towns.

Odiko Macdon, a Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), responded to the incident by saying that it had not yet been reported to the leadership.

He went on to say that police will look into the matter as soon as they received the report.