At least two persons were killed and two others abducted on 19 June when suspected cultists attacked residents of the Oko Community in Anambra State.
The police in Anambra State say they have arrested a dreaded cultist allegedly involved in a deadly attack in Oko, a community in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The killings, abductions
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PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that at least two persons were killed on 19 June when suspected cultists attacked residents of the Oko Community.
Apart from the deceased victims, four people were injured while the two others were abducted during the attack.
The two abducted victims were later released after ransom payment, according to the police.
Residents had told this newspaper that the attackers were suspected cultists who stormed the community on a motorcycle and in a Lexus SUV, with no number plates, and targeted some of the victims.
Arrest
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said in the Tuesday statement that police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, arrested the suspect on Monday.
The police spokesperson identified the suspect as Chukwujekwu Okoye, a 25-year-old man, otherwise known as "Bus-Stop."
"He (suspect) confessed to being an active member of the Aye Confraternity Cult group and currently holding a position as a Lord.
"He also stated how they have perfected plans for the initiation ceremony and rivalry cult attack on 7th July 2025 and revealed details of how him and six other gang members attacked Oko on the 19th of June 2025," he stated.
Mr Ikenga said the suspect, on 22 May this year, robbed a victim of his handset and other valuables at gunpoint in the same Oko Community.
He said, with the information provided by the suspect, police operatives have now begun an operation to track down other fleeing members of the cult group to dislodge the criminal network in the state.
Cultism in Anambra
Anambra appears notorious for cult activities.
In June, police foiled a cult initiation ceremony in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area of the state and arrested six suspects.
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In October last year, four people were killed in a clash between two rival cult groups in the community.
In July 2023, suspected cultists beheaded a rival cult leader in another community in Anambra, and in November 2022, six people were shot dead in Awka, Anambra, during a shootout between two rival cult groups, amongst a series of similar killings in the state.
Cultism, mixed with the deadly activities of separatist groups in Anambra, has complicated the security challenges in the South-eastern state.
Meanwhile, cultism, also known as secret societies, is outlawed in Nigeria.
The laws vary state by state. In Anambra State, for instance, cultism is outlawed in Anambra State Secret Cult and Similar Activities Prohibition Law, 2024.
The law provides that any person who is a member of a secret cult, has committed an offence whether or not in possession of an offensive weapon, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life or a minimum of 21 years imprisonment without an option of fine.
