The Anambra State Police Command has apprehended seven suspected cultists allegedly being prepared for political thuggery ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the state police spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspects were caught during an initiation ritual in a bush at Obinagu, Abagana, Njikoka Local Government Area.
Ikenga revealed that officers of the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugu-Ukwu, working with the Agunechemba Vigilante Group, stormed the scene in the early hours of Sunday and successfully arrested the suspects, identified as members of the Black Axe confraternity.
Items recovered at the scene included a 25-litre keg filled with a red liquid substance, red ritual garments, two wooden drums, and footwear belonging to the suspects and other accomplices who managed to escape.
“The suspects, all male, include Ugorji Emmanuel (29), Ogamba Chinuike Anthony (22), Chibuzor Agudiegu (25), Destiny Okasi (22), Udewulu Nzube (19), Ifeanyi Anikpe (21), and Sunday Akuma (20),” the statement read.
Ikenga explained that preliminary investigations suggest the initiation was part of a recruitment and training process aimed at using the suspects for election-related violence in Njikoka and Anaocha LGAs.
He added that the suspects tried to flee when security operatives arrived but were apprehended after a swift chase.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, reiterated the Command’s commitment to maintaining peace and warned that the police would deal decisively with anyone involved in activities that could disrupt public order before, during, and after the forthcoming election.
Orutugu also urged parents, community leaders, and youth groups to intensify efforts toward moral guidance and to discourage cultism and political thuggery.
He appealed to residents to continue providing credible information that could help in crime prevention and the arrest of criminal elements.
The Command also disclosed that investigations are ongoing to track down other fleeing members and dismantle linked cult networks operating in the area.
DAILY GAZETTE had earlier reported a similar incident in September, where four suspected cultists were arrested in Nsugbe community, Anambra East LGA, following a violent clash behind Nwafor Orizu College of Education. During that confrontation, one suspect sustained machete injuries while others escaped into nearby bushes.
