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The Cross River State Police Command has opened an investigation into two serving police officers arrested with firearms and ammunition during heightened tensions linked to the communal crisis between the Ugep and Idomi communities.
The command reacted after a video circulating on social media claimed the officers were directly connected to the unrest in the area.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Superintendent Eitokpah Akata, explained that the officers were apprehended during a coordinated security operation involving the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Army in Biase Local Government Area.
“The Command wishes to clarify that the incident occurred on 5th May 2026, when two suspects riding on a motorcycle were intercepted during a routine stop-and-search operation conducted jointly by men of the Nigeria Police Force and personnel of the Nigerian Army in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State,” the statement read.
Police authorities said preliminary investigations revealed that the two men are active personnel attached to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the two suspects seen in the viral video are serving members of the Nigeria Police Force attached to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command and were found in possession of firearms and live ammunition at the time of their interception,” the statement added.
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Following their arrest, the suspects were reportedly moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Calabar as authorities intensified inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The suspects were immediately taken into custody and subsequently transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Calabar, where a full-scale investigation is currently ongoing,” Akata stated.
The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Rashid Afegbua, has also directed investigators to thoroughly examine the matter and establish the motive behind the officers’ actions.
“The Commissioner of Police, Cross River State Command, CP Rashid B. Afegbua, has ordered a comprehensive investigation to determine the motive, intent, and full circumstances surrounding the suspects’ actions,” the statement said.
The command further reassured residents that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted, irrespective of rank or affiliation.
“The Command assures members of the public that no individual found wanting, regardless of status or affiliation, will be shielded from the full weight of the law,” the police added.
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