The Cross River State Police Command has reported major gains in its ongoing crackdown on violent crime, with Commissioner of Police Rashid B. Afegbua confirming the recovery of a substantial haul of arms, ammunition and hard drugs between July 7, 2025, and the present date. The announcement came during a security assessment briefing in Calabar, where the Commissioner reviewed his first five months in office.
The recovered items include six locally fabricated long guns, five short guns, two machetes and a knife, along with one automatic English pump action. Operatives also seized 284 cartridges, 520 cards of tramadol and parcels of loud and ICE, which the Commissioner described as items commonly used to fuel armed violence and youth criminality in identified hotspots.
Afegbua said he took command at a time when murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and cult activity were among the most troubling threats to public safety. Since then, the Command has recorded 148 criminal cases. These include 19 incidents of murder, 11 armed robberies, 62 cases of stealing, seven assault cases, two vandalisation incidents and five attempted murders. The police also documented 19 rape cases, nine incidents of malicious damage, two kidnapping cases, seven cases of unlawful possession of arms, two arson incidents and three cultism cases.
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According to the Commissioner, 147 of the cases have been charged to court. A total of 25 have been conclusively prosecuted, nine have resulted in conviction and 113 remain before the courts with none discharged or withdrawn. He noted that the collaboration between security agencies and community stakeholders has helped limit the operating space available to criminal groups, while strengthening public trust in policing across the state.
Afegbua urged residents and the press to sustain their support by sharing credible information that can aid investigations, particularly as the state prepares for the 2025 Carnival Calabar and Festival. He said safety remains the central priority and affirmed the Command’s determination to keep the state peaceful for citizens and visitors.
