Tension is high in Awka, Anambra State capital, as blood flows following a killing spree by members of rival cult groups. So far, upwards of 15 persons have allegedly been murdered.

The war mongers, according to sources, are members of Aye and Baggers, as well as other groups which are yet to be identified. The cause of the crisis is yet to be ascertained.

Over the weekend, lifeless bodies of young men suspected to be cult members littered parts of the state capital, among them UNIZIK Junction, Nkwelle and Ukwu Oji areas, among others.

While one of the victims was allegedly shot at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in front of his gate at Nkwelle village, four were killed yesterday, and two others shot at Amikwo village.

Also four were alleged to have been murdered around Eke Awka market, three killed around Nkwelle Awka while one was killed around Regina Caeli Hospital Awka even as another was killed earlier in the day.

Information gathered by News Express revealed that during the yearly traditional festival of the town known as “Imo Awka”, two cultists engaged in a fight at Isiagu Junction, Amikwo village, Awka, in the presence of security agencies but nobody intervened until they were done fighting.

The police in the state has deployed its apparatus in a bid to stop the carnage and arrest the perpetrators, including a helicopter that hovered in the sky in Sunday morning.

Already, officers of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) have taken over Amikwo and other affected villages in search of members of the warring cult groups.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent Haruna Mohammed, confirmed that the Command has embarked on an aggressive manhunt for the perpetrators of the killings “following actionable intelligence received about their hideouts.”

He said that so far, over eleven notorious confessed suspects have been arrested by both the Special Anti-Cult unit and SARS, adding that the operation is still ongoing.

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