By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has provided a comprehensive update on the deadly cult-related attack that occurred on the evening of Sunday, December 7, at Afor Nawfia Market, along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road, which left at least four persons fatally injured.
This clarification was contained in a press statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Ikenga Tochukwu.
The Police Spokesman recalled that operatives of the Command attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, had earlier acted on credible intelligence on a planned rival cult confrontation and successfully arrested two dangerous suspects four days before the attack, recovering a firearm from them.
According to him, the suspects have since been assisting the Police with valuable information aimed at preventing further cult-related violence within Awka and its environs.
He said, however, despite these proactive efforts by the Police Command, some remaining members of the same cult gang, on the evening of December 7, 2025, allegedly stormed Afor Nawfia Market in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number yet unknown and opened fire indiscriminately.
The sudden and violent attack, according to the press statement, resulted in the fatal injury of four persons, while the assailants fled the scene immediately after the attack.
Although the hoodlums escaped before the arrival of police operatives, the PPRO noted that preliminary information obtained at the scene has provided useful investigative leads, which the Command is already acting upon to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and arrested.
He further emphasized that the Anambra State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to rid the State of cultism, violent crime, and all forms of criminality; even as he assured further updates on the matter as investigation progresses.
