“On-the-spot assessment indicates that not less than five suspected cultists were killed in cold blood,” police spokesman in the state Ikenga Tochukwu was reported saying.

It is reassuring that the Anambra State Police Command said some arrests had been made in connection with the killings. Investigation of the incident should be thorough and also cover how Chukwuka died.

There are conflicting versions describing who he was. One version said he was in the sand loading business and had a decent reputation, but another said he was a notorious cultist.

The killings further triggered local demands for the construction of a police station and security posts in the area. The authorities should look into the security situation in the area, and introduce improvements.

There is no doubt that the accounts of how Chukwuka died and his funeral went awry are strange indeed, and may well suggest cultism. The police need to get to the bottom of these incidents.

The killings again raised the issue of cultism and its social consequences, including breakdown of law and order, violence and social instability, weakened societal values, and premature death of youths who are cultists and innocent victims.

Public campaigns against cultism in the country must not only be continued but intensified. The government, schools, religious institutions and parents should be involved in spreading awareness of the issue and its negative consequences.

The Ebenebe killings are particularly disturbing because they happened at a funeral. It was a time for sober contemplation, a time to appreciate the value of life, not a time for thoughtlessness and senseless destruction of lives.

Sadly, the invaders not only desecrated the burial ceremony but also violated the fundamental right of the attendees to life. The killers must not be allowed to get away with murder.

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