The Anambra State Police Command has arrested seven suspected cultists allegedly being trained for election thuggery ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election.
Police spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga said in a statement on Sunday that the suspects were apprehended during an initiation ceremony in a bush at Obinagu, Abagana, in Njikoka Local Government Area. Operatives of the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugu-Ukwu, working with Agunechemba Vigilante members, made the arrests in the early hours of Sunday.
Recovered items included a 25-litre keg containing a red liquid substance, ritual cloth, two wooden drums, and footwear belonging to the suspects. The seven arrested men—aged between 19 and 29—were identified as Ugorji Emmanuel, Ogamba Chinuike Anthony, Chibuzor Agudiegu, Destiny Okasi, Udewulu Nzube, Ifeanyi Anikpe, and Sunday Akuma. They are believed to be members of the Black Axe confraternity.
Ikenga said preliminary investigations indicate that the group was being groomed for political violence in Njikoka and Anaocha LGAs. He added that an investigation is ongoing to track down fleeing accomplices and dismantle other cult cells in the area.
Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, warned that the Command will not tolerate activities threatening peace before the election. He urged parents, community leaders, and youth groups to guide young people against cultism and political violence, and appealed to the public to provide credible information to aid police efforts.
In a related incident in September, the Command arrested four suspected cultists after a violent clash in Nsugbe community, Anambra East LGA, where several individuals engaged in a bloody confrontation with dangerous weapons.
