Cultism: Ayade accuses FG of neglect

Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade has blamed the federal government for the incessant cult activities in his state which have claimed many lives and properties in recent times.

Mid last week the state commissioner of police, Mohammed Inuwa Hafiz, had to invite senior leaders of cult groups in the state where he appealed to them to maintain peace.

In an interview with journalists, the governor said even though he inherited the menace from administration of Senator Liyel Imoke, cultism and kidnapping heightened in the state because the federal government refused to extend security cover from the Operation Delta Safe to his state because there is more oil in the state.

He said, “I inherited cultism in the state. But because Cross River does not have oil, the federal government pushed everything, all the army to the Niger Delta, except Cross River State. I went to Abuja and shouted. There was no Cross Riverian who joined me to say stop this, why are you giving security to all the states except Cross River state? Because Cross River didn’t have Operation Delta Safe, all the bad boys and the militants moved from other parts of the Niger Delta and came and lived in Calabar.”

He said it was because of the federal government neglect of his state that he had to set up the Mainland Security at an extra security cost to the state. no