Four policemen, consisting of two inspectors and two sergeants were killed by gunmen between 12 midnight and 1am on Thursday at a makeshift checkpoint at Ayan Mbat community on Idundu Road in Calabar Municipality.
Their guns were reported to be carted away by the unidentified gunmen.
However, the police have arrested five suspects in connection with the killing in Calabar with investigations on going.
The incident has been confirmed by the state Commissioner of Police, Sikiru Akande, who said, “We have gone to the scene to see what has happened. The attack was a means devised to dampen our spirit. Our spirit is not dampened.
“We have arrested five suspects. More will be arrested. From intelligence gathered, a group of cultists want to get equipment for their initiation coming up soon. In the next few days, we will get all of them.
“We have started recovering some of the weapons they snatched, thereby reducing the threat they would have posed. We have already started striking back.”
Residents said they heard prolonged gunshots in the night only to see the corpses of the slain policemen in the morning on Thursday.
“We heard gunshots for several minutes in the night. When we woke up we saw the bodies of the policemen,” a resident who pleaded not to be named said.
Another eyewitness who lives opposite the checkpoint said the four policemen who divided themselves into two, two at the checkpoint and two opposite the checkpoint, were apparently taken by surprise.
