Explainer: What You Should Know About the Masquerade Control Law of Akwa Ibom State

 

By Ekemini Simon

 

When Governor Umo Eno stood before an audience on November 29, 2025, and issued a blunt directive banning public display of masquerades across Akwa Ibom State, he touched a cultural nerve that immediately set off heated conversations across the State.

 

For some, the order was overdue, an attempt to tackle years of harassment, extortion, assault, and public disorder allegedly perpetrated under the cover of masquerade traditions. For others, the Governor’s action felt like an intrusion into a deeply rooted cultural practice that predates Governor Eno’s administration and even the State creation.

 

However, beneath the debates and emotions lies a crucial fact: Akwa Ibom already has a legally binding Masquerade (Control) Law, codified as Volume IV, Cap 94 of the Laws of Akwa Ibom State 2022. In fact, the commencement date of this law was on July 17, 1987 before it was updated in 2022.

 

What Governor Eno did was activate and enforce an existing statute long ignored by both the public and authorities. Yet very few residents truly understand what this law says, how it works, and what it means for cultural groups, traditionalists, communities, and security agencies.

 

This explainer breaks down the provisions of the law, the powers of government under it, and what every citizen should know in light of renewed enforcement following the arrest of one David Effiong, a masquerader, on November 2, 2025.

 

Why Masquerades Became a Public Security Concern

 

Masquerade outings once ceremonial and seasonal have increasingly become flashpoints of fear in several communities. Reports of masked individuals using their anonymity to extort traders, flog pedestrians, block roads, harass and sometimes rape women, and at times break into homes have become common Akwa Ibom communities including the capital city.

 

Governor Eno alluded to these incidents when issuing his order “They have been using it to cause trouble in some local government areas… Anyone caught will be arrested and tried.”

Security agencies say the challenge is not the tradition itself, but the misuse by individuals who exploit cultural reverence and immunity for criminal behaviour. The Masquerade Control Law, therefore, seeks to strike a balance by protecting culture while preventing chaos.

 

Permit-Based System is What the Law Actually Requires

 

Central to the law is one major rule: no masquerade may appear in public without a government-issued permit.

 

 No Permit, No Procession (Section 1)

 

The law outrightly prohibits any masquerade from assembling or carrying out a procession without authorization from the Commissioner of Police. This places masquerade activities under formal regulation just like political rallies.

 

How to Obtain a Permit (Section 2)

 

A recognized leader of the masquerade group must submit a written application at least three days before the outing. The application must clearly state; date and time of the outing, approved assembly point(s), the exact routes of the procession, and a guarantee that the masquerade will conduct itself peacefully.

 

The Commissioner must approve the request unless there is reasonable fear that the procession could lead to a breach of peace. If denied, the group has the right to appeal directly to the Governor, whose decision is final.

 

Conditions of an Approved Permit (Section 3)

The law provides that every permit must specify: when the procession will happen, where the masquerade can assemble, and which routes it may follow. In essence, a masquerade cannot roam freely outside the approved areas.

 

Strict Penalties for Misconduct

 

The law outlines clear offences and corresponding punishments to deter disorderly masquerade behaviour.

 

Specifically, Section 4 provides that if the a masquerader strays outside the authorized square, street, or route commits an offence punishable by one month confinement, or a ₦50,000 fine, or both.

 

Section 5 provides that a masquerader may wear traditional attire, but must not intimidate, threaten, or harm anyone.

 

Section 6 provides that causing harm or injury to anyone will be treated as a serious offence. The law notes that any masquerader who harms someone faces

two years confinement without an option of fine.

 

Breaking into homes is not allowed. Section 7 states that a masquerader who enters a house or private premises illegally risks one year confinement, ₦200,000 fine, or both.

 

Masquerades are forbidden from demanding gifts or money using threats or force. Section 8 provides that violators face six months confinement, no option of fine.

 

This provision directly targets the widespread practice of using masquerade outings as extortion schemes.

 

The Power of Arrest With or Without a Warrant

 

One of the most critical sections of the law is Section 10: it provides that anyone can arrest a Masquerader.

 

Although subsection 1 empowers the police to arrest the masquerader without a warrant, subsection 2 states ” Where a person other than a police officer arrests an offending masquerader, that person shall immediately take such masquerader to the nearest Police station and there make the necessary complaints.”

 

Although the local tradition forbids unmasking a masquerader, subsection 3 states for identification and prosecution, every arrested masquerader must be unmasked at the police station.

 

Responsibilities of Masquerade Leaders

 

The law places significant responsibility on “recognized leaders” of masquerade groups.

 

Section 11 states that they must keep a detailed register containing names of all masqueraders in their group and their residential addresses.

 

This is to help police identify offenders and ensure groups can account for their members. Failure to maintain this register is punishable by one year confinement and no option of fine.

 

This section strengthens internal discipline within masquerade groups and ensures leaders do not hide offenders.

 

Why the Enforcement Matters Now

 

For years, the Masquerade Control Law remained largely dormant. Cultural activities continued without regulation, leading to increased abuses. Governor Eno’s Executive Order of November 3, 2025 marks the first time the law is being applied with strictness.

 

The arrest of David Effiong has become a case study of the clash between tradition and state regulation. While some residents of Akwa Ibom State and beyond argue that culture should not be criminalized, others insist that security and public order must come first.

 

But legal experts say the Governor is acting within the law. Community leaders, on the other hand, are calling on the government to engage cultural custodians so that enforcement does not translate into cultural erasure.

 

The Bigger Picture of Balancing Culture, Safety, and Rights

 

Masquerades known in local parlance as Ekpo and Ekong remain an important part of Akwa Ibom’s identity from ancestral reverence to artistic expression. Yet, as communities modernize and urban settings grow denser, the risks attached to unregulated masquerade outings become more severe.

 

The Masquerade Control Law does not ban masquerades. It only regulates how and where they can operate thus demanding accountability, safety, and peaceful conduct.

 

Governor Eno’s recent enforcement signals a new approach; tradition should thrive but not at the expense of public peace and security.

 

As debates continue, every cultural group, community leader, and resident must understand what the law says since ignorance in this case, is not just risky; it could be criminal.