Anambra Cult Clash: One Killed, Another Wounded in Okija

 

One person has been reportedly killed while another seriously wounded in a renewed cult war in Okija, Ihiala local government area of Anambra.

Last week, one person was beheaded and his head taken away by the assailants, while another person was equally killed.

The Nation gathered Tuesday that no fewer than seven persons had lost their lives in the community under similar circumstances since November 2020.

The person who was killed last night according to a source who pleaded anonymity, hailed from Umuatuegwu village, in the community.

The source said he was hit by a stray bullet while rival cult groups were shooting sporadically unchallenged in the area, while residents ran for safety.

The situation had heightened tension in the area, as the cult groups had continued to harass each other at the popular Nkwo Okija market.

The source said: “As I am speaking, there is a commotion at Nkwo market and the disturbing thing is that these boys are using the opportunity to extort money from people.

“Those who refuse to give them money usually have their cars torched. The development has forced many people to hurriedly leave the market for their houses.”

Following the situation, the State Police Command, had removed the former Divisional Police Officer DPO on Monday, while a new one had resumed Tuesday.

The source said their prayer was that the deployment of the new DPO and Divisional Crime Officer DCO would return normalcy to the town.