There is fear and commotion in the city of Calabar over alleged disappearances of male genital organs. The male residients of the State, it is believed, now prefer to move about with bitter kola and alligator pepper in their pockets for fear of been “harvested”
The Cross River State Government has come out with a statement signed by its Commissioner for Information, Erasmus Ekpang saying that the alleged information is unfounded and the work of mischief makers. According to the Police Command Public Relations Officer, Ms Irene Ugbo, the information only exist in the imaginations of those who take solace in creating anxiety and tension in the state as the police cannot confirm any of such rumors.
The residents were however not ready to take the police and the state government by their word as rumores have it that, every few hours, there was uproar in one part of the town or the other over the disappearance of a male private organ.
A spare parts dealer, Chibuike, told reporters that “an organ was said to be sold for six hundred thousand naira last week but owing to market forces and high demand, the price has gone up to one million per organ”.
According to him, “the organs are used for ritual purposes to make money and anyone whose genital is stolen would die a few days after. More people will fall victim if something drastic is not done by the authorities to stop the ugly state of events in the city.
“Men now put bitter kola and alligator pepper in their pockets or hold their private organs tightly while walking on the street or inside commercial vehicles. The price of bitter kola has also gone up because of the high demand.”
Cases of organ disappearance were said to have occurred at Atimbo, Nyahasang, Moore Road, Satellite Town, Ekpo Abasi, 8 Miles, Watt Market, Atakpa/ Mayne Avenue and some other places in the city.
A resident of Calabar South, Blessing Ngi, said, “it happened in my area, State Avenue by Afokang this morning. Someone lost his penis and it took severe beating of the snatcher before he restored the organ.”
There was also a drama in the Goodluck Jonarthan way in the city as an angry mob accused some men of “genital snatching” in the local. Luckily for the accused, the timely intervention of the police, halted the mob who were about to lynch the said suspects who were believed to be in possession of some fetish objects purpoedly used in carrying out the evil acts.
Witnesses at the scene said when the man felt his penis had disappeared, he immediately raised an alarm and removed his trousers and what he saw left him dismayed. “What he saw was smaller than a grain of rice and there were no testicles too,” Jeremiah, one of the witnesses said.
In another development, at Nyanghasang community in Calabar Municipal, an incident of “genital stealing” led to a Police raid which caused a reprisal attack by the community. A Police van was damaged and an entertainer, Kandy Umoh was among those arrested during the fracas.
SOURCE: Eyes on Calabar
IMAGE: Sputnik
