A youth group in Nawfia, Njikoka Council Area of Anambra, the Adagbe Mmimi Village Youths, has condemned what it described as the brutal killing of five individuals, including two of their own and their branding as cultists, by the Anambra State Police Command.
The State Police Command had, on Monday, said its operatives recovered four bodies of notorious cultists at Nawfia community.
Police spokesperson in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who made the disclosure, said Police operatives attached to Nimo Police Station responded to a distress call on October 6, 2024, at 8:25 p.m. about a suspected cult clash at Umuka, Nawfia.
According to him, the dead persons were later identified by eyewitnesses and some villagers notorious for their nefarious activities and are always in rivalry with another cult group in the area.
But in a strong-worded statement signed by Mr. Ebele Okoye, Chairman of the Adagbe Mmimi Village Youths, the youths expressed deep outrage and sorrow over the brutal killing of the individuals, including two of their own, Mr. Chukwuebuka Nwonukwue and Mr. Onyebuchi Nnatuanya, alongside three non-indigenes residing in the community.
The group said Mr. Nwonukwue, a respected plumber, and Mr. Nnatuanya, an emerging football talent affectionately called “Star Boy,” were law-abiding citizens with no criminal backgrounds.
They decried the senseless act of violence that claimed the lives of these promising young men.
The youths also refuted the Nigerian Police claims, labeling the victims as notorious cultists.
Describing the police statement as hasty and unsubstantiated, the youth group accused law enforcement of attempting to mislead the public and downplay the severity of the crime.
They called for the police statement to be immediately retracted and demanded a thorough investigation to ensure justice was served.
“We urge the Nigerian Police to retract their false narrative, conduct a comprehensive investigation, and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement read.
The Adagbe Mmimi Youths urged the community to remain calm and law-abiding while they pursue justice through all available channels.
The police were yet to respond to these demands when filing this report.
