The police in Anambra State have foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
Tochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesperson in the state, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Awka.
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Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the police operatives carried out the operation in the area at about 9.30 a.m. on 15 June.
He said that during the raid, the operatives arrested six suspects, recovered one pump action gun, two cartridges and one golden coloured Lexus SUV with registration number ATN 202 AE.
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Other items recovered at the scene include two cutlasses, two scissors, one cap with the inscription of the Supreme Vikings confraternity, some charms, and substances suspected to be hard drugs.
“They are currently undergoing police interrogation to get more insight into their modus operandi, after which the case will be charged to court on the conclusion of the investigations,” Mr Ikenga said.
The police spokesperson reassured residents that the command remains committed to the fight against cultism and other crimes in the state.
Cultism and related crimes, which have been on a steady increase in Nigeria, have become a national security threat in the world’s most populous black nation, with daily reports of cult-related killings in various cities.
“Once largely confined to university campuses, cult activities have now spilt into towns and cities, exacerbating an already fragile security landscape,” PREMIUM TIMES reported recently, on 8 June.
“These groups wield dangerous weapons, including firearms, and their activities often result in tragic consequences for victims and their families.”
The Nawfia community in Njikoka, Anambra State, appears notorious for cult activities. In October last year, four people were killed in a clash between two rival cult groups in the community.
In July 2023, suspected cultists beheaded a rival cult leader in another community in Anambra, and in November 2022, six people were shot dead in Awka, Anambra, during a shootout between two rival cult groups, amongst a series of similar killings in the state.
Cultism, mixed with the deadly activities of separatist groups in Anambra, has complicated the security challenges in the state.
(NAN)
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