The Police Command in Cross River has arrested 12 suspected cult members in Obudu Local Government Area of the state ahead of the August 11 bye election for Obudu State Constituency.

Presenting the suspects to journalists on Thursday in Calabar, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Hafiz Inuwa, said the suspects were arrested for parading themselves in Obudu with the intention to disrupt the election.

Inuwa said the suspects were arrested with dangerous weapons by men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the command.

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“These hoodlums are cult members. They were arrested irrespective of party affiliation because they were in Obudu to foment trouble.

“From our investigation, the 12 of them are cult members. Two of them are very notorious cult members who have been on our wanted list.

“Mcslow is a very dreaded Viking member and Ubong is a dreaded skylo member.

“We knew that they were going to Obudu to commit crime because their voters’ registration centre is not in Obudu.

“They were arrested with three live cartridges; one revolver pistol and a locally made one. They were ostensibly going to Obudu to commit crime.

“Any miscreant, political party or individuals with the intention of causing trouble to thwart the peaceful conduct of this election will be arrested and prosecuted,’’ he warned.

He further said that the command had earlier arrested 10 persons in Obudu who were also disrupting the peace of residents in that area ahead of the election.

The commissioner said that the police would create a peaceful atmosphere for the electorate to come out en masse and cast their votes.

“Our own is not to conduct the election but to create a peaceful atmosphere where all party supporters will be very free to casts their votes.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Obudu State Constituency in the House of Assembly became vacant following the death of the lawmaker, Mr Stephen Ukpukpen, on May 30.

(NAN)