The son of a Pentecostal pastor has been shot and killed in Awka, the Anambra State capital, sparking speculations that he might have been a secret cultist. The deceased, said to be a student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, was not known to have been involved in cult activities and carried himself like a good child.

He had gone to a pub on Emma Nnaemeka Street with his girlfriend but trouble came knocking at about 8:30 p.m. when, according to eyewitnesses, he sighted a group of about four young men approaching the place. The young man, whose name could not be ascertained, was said to have suddenly risen to his feet and taken to his heels, leaving his perplexed girlfriend behind.

Residents who spoke with News Express said that the young men, believed to be cultists, immediately went after him, catching up with him at the alley leading to UNIZIK junction, where they shot him.

According to an eyewitness, Mr. Chinonso Emmanuel, “After shooting the victim and he fell to the ground, one of them returned and shot him three more times on the chest, probably to ensure that the boy were truly dead.”

Residents of the area mistook the shooting for a robbery attack, leading to a stampede. The victim’s body was later taken away by security agents and deported in a mortuary.

It could not be confirmed how far investigations into the incident have gone as the state Public Relations Officer, Mr. Uche Ezeh, could not be reached for comments, his phone being switched off as at the time of filing this report.