The Enugu State Police Command says it has arrested 26 persons suspected to be involved in the cult clashes going on in the state.
The cult clashes involving members of Black Axe confraternity and Vikings Aro Mate confraternity had reportedly claimed no fewer than 14 lives in the last two weeks.
However, the command in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and heads of Tactical Teams of the state command to use all the operational and intelligence resources at their disposal to further clamp down on the criminal elements and bring them to justice.
Ndukwe said that 26 male suspects between the ages of 18 and 40 years have been arrested at different locations in the state by operatives of the Command’s Anti-cultism Squad.
According to him, the suspects, all linked to the crime, confessed to being members of Supreme Vikings and Black Axe Confraternities that are respectively involved in the cult war.
The statement read, “Preliminary investigations reveal that some members of Black Axe confraternity, on 29/03/2023 at about 2230 hrs, conspired, shot and injured a member of Supreme Vikings confraternity in the arm, at Emene, Enugu.
“On receipt of the information, members of Supreme Vikings confraternity, in solidarity with their murdered member, conspired and declared war against members of Black Axe confraternity, which has led to counter and counter murderous armed attacks between the secret cult groups in different parts of Enugu metropolis, Agbani and Nsukka areas of the state.
“The investigations further reveal that the attacks have led to the murder of a yet-to-be-ascertained number of individuals on different dates and times in the mentioned locations.
“The suspects were today, 20/04/2023, arraigned in court and remanded in the Nigerian Correctional Custodial Centre; while frantic operational and investigative efforts are on course to apprehend and bring other perpetrators of the act to book.”
He also said that the commissioner has urged parents, guardians, community and religious leaders in the State to caution and dissuade their children, wards, or subjects from partaking in secret cultism and its related criminal activities.
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