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Regional News of Thursday, 8 April 2021

Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

Suspected cult war claims 3 in Anambra

Three persons were yesterday, gunned down in two different locations in Awka, Anambra State capital by suspected cultists.

About six persons have been killed within a month in a similar manner, in what has been suspected to be a cult war between two rival groups.

The latest killings, Daily Sun gathered, took place in Umubele village, Awka, and at a location in Okpuno community, Awka South Local Government Area. While one person was gunned down in Umubele, two were killed in Okpuno.

A trending video of the Okpuno incident showed the lifeless bodies of two young men lying in the pool of their own blood.

An eyewitness at Umubele, who craved anonymity, said that the gunmen stormed the village with Keke NAPEP around 10am and opened fire on their victim, killing him instantly.

“They just shot a boy in my area now. The killers came with Keke and gunned him down in broad daylight,” she said.

Confirming the incidents, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said that the police rushed the Okpuno victims to the hospital, where they were confirmed dead on arrival by a doctor.

“It is an incident that involved a suspected attack by rival cult groups. The victims were rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead by a medical doctor on arrival.

“Meanwhile, the combined team of anti-cult operatives and divisional police, led by DPO ‘B’ Division Awka, is right at the scene. Investigation is ongoing to unravel the perpetrators of this barbaric act,” Tochukwu said.