Four killed in Anambra cult clash

A file photo of the spokesman of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga

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Four persons have lost their lives in the violent attack that occurred on Sunday near the Afor Market Junction in Nawfia community, Njikoka Local Government Area, Anambra State.

The Anambra State Police Command Spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed this in a press statement issued on Monday.

Ikenga blamed the attack on a rival cult clash, adding that some members of the same gang, operating in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number “yet unknown”, stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire indiscriminately.

He said the hoodlums escaped before police arrival, but 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 statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command wishes to provide a comprehensive update on the cult-related attack that occurred on the evening of December 7, 2025, at Afor Nawfia Market, along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road.

“It will be recalled that operatives of the Command attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, had, four days earlier, acting on credible intelligence about a planned rival cult confrontation, arrested two dangerous suspects and recovered a firearm from them.

“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 December 7, 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 death 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.”

He stated that the 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,” he added.

Recall that Punch Online had reported that a yet-to-be-disclosed number of persons were feared killed when some unknown assailants, wielding assault rifles and other dangerous weapons, launched an attack near the Afor Market Junction in Nawfia community, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

Sources in the area said the incident caused pandemonium as people scampered to safety, adding that some people were fatally injured during the gunfire.

One of the sources said, “The armed hoodlums invaded Afor Market Junction and immediately opened fire, killing a lot of people. Nobody knows the reason behind the attack, but the attack has left our community shaken.”

Some other residents who also spoke on the development said they were still in shock, with many calling for increased security presence.

An eyewitness near the scene said, “It was chaos. The attackers came out of nowhere this evening in a commando-like fashion and started shooting indiscriminately.

“The police have launched an investigation into the attacks and are working to apprehend the perpetrators.”

Video footage of the incident currently circulating online showed the members of the community running for safety while some lifeless bodies were lying in a pool of blood on the ground.

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