About 40 youths in Abini community in the Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State have renounced membership of various cults and pledged to embrace peace and lawful living.
The youths made the commitment during a sensitisation and engagement programme organised by the Cross River State Police Command in collaboration with the Abini Elites Association, comprising the Clan Head and Chiefs of Abini Community, and the LauraHope Foundation.
The event drew community leaders, security agencies and representatives of civil society groups who commended the youths for their decision to drop cultism.
The ex-cultists publicly denounced their former groups and signed peace undertakings to shun violence, cult activities and other forms of criminality.
The youths also apologised to their communities and pledged to become ambassadors of peace.
They vowed to sensitise their peers against joining illegal groups and support government efforts at maintaining law and order.
A community leader, Ukam Uno, described the move as a major step towards restoring peace in troubled areas of the state, urging the government and stakeholders to support the youths with skills acquisition and empowerment to prevent them from returning to cultism.
He further praised the youths for heeding calls for peace, and warned that the community would not hesitate to deal with anyone who returns to cult-related activities.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, in a statement said the initiative was part of the proactive, community-based crime prevention strategy of the Commissioner of Police, Ajo Geoffrey Ordue.
The Statement read, “About 40 youths associated with the Vikings, Klans and Axemen cults in Abini Community, in the Biase Local Government Area, renounced their membership and pledged to embrace peaceful and law-abiding lifestyles.”
The statement urged the youth to reject criminality and become agents of peace and development in their communities.