No fewer than four traders were reported to have been confirmed dead and dozens of others sustained varying degrees of injuries after gunmen attacked Afor Nawfia Market in Anambra State.
As gathered, the attack that occurred inside the market sited along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road came four days after two of their colleagues were apprehended by the policemen attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, in Anambra Command.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the attack on Monday through a statement made available to The Guild, disclosed that arms were recovered from the suspects.
Ikenga added that the suspects were apprehended by the law enforcement officers who were acting on credible intelligence about a planned rival cult confrontation in the state.
According to the statement, “The arrested suspects have been assisting the Police with valuable information aimed at preventing further cult-related violence within Awka and its environs.
“Despite these proactive efforts by the Command operatives, some members of the same gang, on the evening of 7th December 2025, operating in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number yet unknown, stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire indiscriminately.
“The violent attack resulted in the fatal injury of four persons, after which the assailants fled the scene.
“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.
“The Anambra State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to rid the State of cultism, violent crime, and all forms of criminality. Further developments will be communicated as investigations progress”.
