Nigerian police have confirmed an attack by gunmen on Sunday in the Iwukem community of oil-rich Akwa Ibom state.

State police spokesperson MacDon Achebe told reporters in Uyo, the state capital, Tuesday that the police had restored normalcy in the area.

The police were on top of the situation, he said, but did not confirm the casualty figure.

Suspected militants attacked the community about 10 p.m. on Sunday, shot sporadically and set some houses ablaze.

The cause of the attack is unknown.

Recently, the state government, in a move to bring to an end killings and kidnappings, banned cult activities across the state.

Akwa Ibom is currently the largest oil-producing state in Nigeria after displacing Rivers state from this position.

The Niger Delta is an unstable area where inter-ethnic clashes are commonplace. Access to oil revenue is the trigger for the violence.