The Enugu State Police Command has arrested 26 persons suspected to be involved in the cult clashes being recorded across the state.
The clashes, which are said to involve members of the Supreme Vikings and Black Axe Confraternities, had reportedly claimed no fewer than 14 lives in the last two weeks.
The command, in a statement on Thursday by its spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, said the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Ammani, has ordered Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and heads of Tactical Teams to use all the operational and intelligence resources at their disposal to further clamp down on the suspected criminals and bring them to justice.
Ndukwe said the 26 male suspects, whose ages range from 18 to 40, were 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 the Supreme Vikings and Black Axe Confraternities that are respectively involved in the cult war.
The statement read, “Preliminary investigations revealed that some members of Black Axe confraternity, on March 29, 2023, around 10.30pm, 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 revealed 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, April 20, 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.”
