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At least four people were killed on Sunday in Anambra State when gunmen launched a fresh attack in Nawfia, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.
The attack, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, happened at about 6 p.m. at Afor Market Junction along Awka-Onitsha Old Road within the Nawfia Community in the South-eastern state.
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The latest attack occurred hours after gunmen attacked Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church in Isiokwe, Lilu, in Ihiala LGA of the state.
The church pastor’s wife was killed, and the hoodlums razed properties worth millions during the attack, which occurred on Sunday morning.
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It is unclear, for now, if the gunmen were responsible for the two separate attacks in the communities.
How the latest attack happened in Nawfia
Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that the gunmen invaded Nawfia Community and immediately opened fire on unsuspecting residents of the community.
“Some people were standing at Fair Market Junction here, which is also known as Afor Junction. And suddenly, some gunmen entered a black Jeep (SUV) and started shooting at people,” one witness, who asked not to be named for fear, narrated.
“Some of us ran away but they shot several people around there,” he added.
Vira video clip
A video clip recorded shortly after the attack has been circulating on Facebook.
In the now-viral clip seen by PREMIUM TIMES, at least four young men were lying lifeless on the ground in pools of their blood along the junction.
Two of the bodies were inside a nearby gutter as distressed residents were heard lamenting over the deadly attack.
Community speaks
The President General of the Nawfia Progressive Union, Daniel Okoye, in a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, said that security agencies in the state have already been informed about the attack.
Mr Okoye said “many people” were killed by the hoodlums during the attack, but did not mention figures.
“I appeal to all Ndi Nawfia to remain calm, stay vigilant, and continue to cooperate with security operatives as they work tirelessly to restore normalcy and ensure our safety,” he said.
Police confirm attack
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the latest attack in Nawfia Community in a statement on Monday morning.
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said what happened was a cult-related attack.
The spokesperson noted that, four days earlier, the police authorities had arrested two dangerous suspects in connection with a planned rival cult confrontation in the state.
He said the arrested suspects had been assisting the police with “valuable information” which was intended to tackle 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,” he said.
Mr Ikenga regretted that the hoodlums escaped before the operatives arrived at the scene of the attack, but expressed optimism that preliminary information obtained at the scene has provided “useful leads.”
He said the police were already acting “on the leads” to track down the attackers.
“The Anambra State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to rid the State of cultism, violent crime, and all forms of criminality,” he stated.
“Further developments will be communicated as investigations progress.”
Increased attacks
Like in other states in the South-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons in recent times.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
READ ALSO: Gunmen attack church in Anambra, kill pastor’s wife, raze house, vehicles
Attacks by cultists, kidnappers, armed robbers and separatists have combined to worsen the insecurity in the South-east lately.
Hundreds of people have been killed or abducted, and several others have been injured in some of these attacks in the region.
The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.
But the separatist group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south of Nigeria.
Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently convicted and then sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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