No fewer than four suspected cultists sustained varying degrees of injury during a rival cult confrontation at Afor Nawfia Market, along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road.
The clash was said to have occurred after some members of the gang, operating in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number yet unknown, yesterday evening, stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire indiscriminately.
The violence resulted in injuries to four members of the rival group, after which the suspected assailants fled the scene to avoid arrest by police.
The incident occurred four days after the operative of the Anambra Police Command, attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, acting on credible intelligence about a planned rival cult confrontation, arrested two dangerous suspects and recovered a firearm from them.
Spokesperson for the command, Ikenga Tochukwu, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, although he did not indicate which group the suspected cultists belonged to.
According to him, although the hoodlums escaped before police arrival, preliminary information obtained at the scene has provided useful leads, and the command is already acting on them to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and arrested.
Tochukwu added that the previously arrested suspects have been assisting the police with valuable information aimed at preventing further cult-related violence within Awka and its environs.
The Anambra State Command reiterated its determination to eradicate cultism and violent crime across the state and urged anyone with information to come forward as investigations continue.
