By BANNERNEWS Reporter
Security sources and residents have raised strong suspicions that a notorious criminal gang operating within the Irruan axis of Boki Local Government Area may be responsible for the arson attack on St. Mary’s Quasi Parish Catholic Church, Cross River State.
The church, located in Irruan community, was set ablaze in the early hours of Thursday at about 3:00 a.m., with the sanctuary and two vehicles within the premises completely destroyed by fire.
Parishioners who gathered for worship in an unaffected section of the church disclosed that the attackers allegedly left behind a strange symbol — two zeros inscribed on a wall close to the altar — believed to be a possible signature linked to a cult or criminal group.
A parish member, Peter, said the meaning of the symbol remains unclear but has heightened fears that organised gangs may have carried out the attack.
Community sources further alleged that suspected perpetrators could include unidentified settlers residing within nearby palm oil plantation settlements, as well as remnants of cult networks once associated with a notorious gang led by the late “General Iron,” who was reportedly neutralised by security operatives several years ago. Security agencies, however, have yet to officially confirm these claims.
Following the incident, the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, reportedly directed the Area Commander in Ikom to immediately assess the situation, while a coordinated manhunt has been launched to track down those behind the attack.
Police authorities have also advised church leadership to strengthen security measures around the premises, including fencing the compound and engaging private security personnel to prevent future breaches.
On Sunday, March 1, 2026, the Catholic Bishop of Ogoja Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Donatus Edet Akpan, paid a pastoral visit to the affected parish where vital church documents were also lost in the inferno.
During the visit, the bishop celebrated a solemn Mass alongside 16 priests in what church authorities described as a powerful demonstration of solidarity and spiritual encouragement for the traumatised congregation.
Addressing worshippers after the service, Bishop Akpan urged parishioners to remain vigilant and security-conscious, warning that those responsible for the attack could still be within the surrounding communities.
He condemned the incident as a grave assault on faith and communal harmony, assuring the faithful that justice would prevail. “Those who perpetrated this heinous act of burning the church will never go unpunished,” the bishop declared.
The bishop further noted that the incident represents the first recorded violent destruction of a Catholic church facility in nearly a century of Catholic presence within the Ogoja Diocese.
He also disclosed that the resident priest, Rev. Fr. Matthew Majuk, who assumed pastoral duty at the parish barely three months ago, sustained serious orthopaedic injuries while escaping the fire after jumping from his upstairs residence when the attackers struck.
