Some Communities in Cross River State have utilised the services of local town criers in warning against the consequences of the recent #End SARS looting.
The town criers, who currently go round the 18 local government areas of the state also begged hoodlums to return public and private property looted during and after the #EndSARS protest.
A town crier from one of the communities, said he made the announcements in various dialects of the different communities for impact and understanding.
He warned the looters to return the stolen items to designated places where the government or owners of such property can find them.
The announcer explained that he was working under the directive of the Council of Chiefs in the communities.
It was gathered that some other communities imposed fines on persons accused of looting but refused to return the property while others were placed on a native curse known as ‘Mbiam’ in Efik language.
A town crier who, spoke to our correspondent regretted the actions of the looters, noting that some of the looters have no room to keep what they looted.
“How can you live in a room with your parents and steal large-sized furniture that you cannot accommodate, is that not madness, or how can somebody go to a psychiatric hospital and force a patient out of the bed and take the bed bigger than his room?
“It is very sad and disappointing and it is better our community heads asked them to return those things.
“Failure to do so would attract severe sanctions such as inflicting them with unknown diseases as I have announced. We are very serious about it,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Police in Calabar, have given a hint that they have arrested over a hundred suspected criminals who allegedly looted, vandalized and destroyed government and private property in the State.
Disclosing this in Calabar, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Irene Ugbo, lamented the level of looting and destruction of government and private property in the state.
She said most of those who looted government and private offices were not from Cross River State, most of them were from other States.
She explained that one of the arrested culprits (name withheld), was helping the police in their investigation, and had given names of other suspects.
“This particular suspect is from a neighbouring State; he has made a confessional statement on how some of his boys came and carried out the crime. We have arrested about over 100 suspects that were allegedly vandalising private and government establishment among others
“This suspect masterminded the vandalisation of Calabar International Conference Centre (CICC) where high profile events always take place and where people from other countries come, it is very alarming.
“Those who took palliatives, we allow them but they went as far as taking government furniture including chairs, tiles etc, it is sad to observe that after collecting palliatives they went ahead to collect these property”.
justice to those arrested,” she stressed.

By: Friday Nwagbara, Calabar