By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of four suspected cultists during a violent clash in Nsugbe, Anambra East Local Government Area. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday morning, left one of the suspects hospitalized with machete injuries.
According to a press statement issued on Wednesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the confrontation happened on September 16, 2025, at about 7:00 a.m. behind the Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe, where rival cult groups were sighted attacking one another with cutlasses, broken bottles, daggers, and other dangerous weapons.
Ikenga disclosed that a swift joint response by Police operatives and local vigilante teams led to the arrest of four suspects, identified as Oyachonam Friday (26), Akachukwu Ekwenze (23), David Chukwuma (25), and Eziolise Aloysius (23), while several others fled into nearby bushes.
He added that during the fracas, one of the suspects, David Chukwuma, sustained deep machete cuts and was immediately provided medical attention. The suspect, who is currently responding to treatment, will face necessary legal action once discharged.
The arrested suspects, SP Ikenga further revealed, have already confessed to being members of the dreaded “AYES” confraternity, notorious for violent clashes and criminal activities. He assured that investigations are ongoing to track down the fleeing members of the gang.
Reacting to the development and reassuring Ndi Anambra of zero tolerance for crime, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, pledged that the Command remains relentless in its fight against cultism and all forms of violent crimes in the state. He reiterated that security operatives will continue to intensify surveillance and operations to root out criminal elements from communities.
