The killing may be cult-related, according to the police.
Gunmen have killed a young man in Okpuno, a community in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.
The victim, simply identified as Ifeanyi, was reportedly abducted in the community on Friday.
His body was later found on Sunday along a road in Awka, the state capital.
He hailed from Awgbu, a community in the Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said what happened was murder and not abduction.
"Preliminary information shows that it could be cult-related as there were marks of axe cuts and gunshot wounds on the deceased body," he said.
The police spokesperson urged those who witnessed when his body was being dumped along the road to volunteer information that will support the ongoing police investigation into the incident.
He said the body has been deposited in the morgue.
Another attack
In a separate attack, some gunmen, on Friday night, abducted an entrepreneur, Pius Egwuekwe.
It is not clear, for now, if they were the same gunmen who killed the resident in Awka.
Mr Egwuekwe, a Kano-based entrepreneur, was abducted from his home in Umuchu, a community in the Aguata Local Government Area of the state.
Sources from the community said the victim was abducted shortly after he returned from Zaria in Kano State, to celebrate this year's Christmas.
There are speculations that a member of the community who was aware of the victim's return must have masterminded his attack.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the gunmen had not contacted the victim's family as of the time of this report.
The police spokesperson, Mr Ikenga, confirmed the abduction to PREMIUM TIMES.
He said the abduction had been reported to the police in the state for action.
"There have been ongoing operations emplaced (and) aimed at the possible rescue of the victim since the case was reported," he said.
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Increased attacks
Like other states in Nigeria's South-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
The latest incidents occurred almost the same time some youth groups in the state announced the arrest of over 80 suspected criminals in the state.
The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.
