Security officials in Anambra State, South East Nigeria, say they have stopped what they described as an imminent violent confrontation between rival cult groups in Enugwu Ukwu, a historic community located in Njikoka Local Government Area. The law enforcement agency announced that two young men were taken into custody after officers reportedly used timely intelligence to foil the planned clash.
Okay News reports that the Anambra State Police Command stated the suspects, identified as twenty one year old Oluebube Ifediorah and twenty five year old Offorbuike Emmanuel, were apprehended during an operation carried out by the Special Anti Cult Squad on Thursday.
In a detailed statement released on Saturday, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Tochukwu Ikenga, explained that officers acted on what he described as reliable and actionable intelligence about the gathering of a dangerous cult faction preparing for a violent confrontation.
According to the statement, “Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, acting on actionable intelligence received regarding the gathering of a dangerous cult group for a planned rivalry fight in the early hours of December 4, 2025, swiftly mobilised to the scene.”
The police spokesperson confirmed that the responding team arrested “one Oluebube Ifediorah ‘M’ aged 21 years and Offorbuike Emmanuel ‘M’ aged 25 years, respectively.”
Authorities added that a locally-made double-barrelled shotgun and two live cartridges were recovered from the suspects. The firearm was discovered inside a red bag reportedly carried by Oluebube Ifediorah, while other individuals linked to the group fled into surrounding bushes.
The statement continued, “The recovered firearm was found in a red bag that Oluebube Ifediorah had on him, as several other members of the cult gang had managed to flee the scene into the surrounding bush.”
Police officials say efforts are currently underway to identify, trace, and arrest other members of the alleged gang.
The spokesperson said the operation aligned with the state’s broader crime prevention strategy. “To this end, the Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Police Ikioye Orutugu, urges members of the public to continue providing credible information to aid in the fight against cultism and other forms of criminality in the State,” the statement added.
This development comes weeks after security operatives in Anambra State detained seven suspected cult members who were allegedly being prepared for use as election thugs ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election. Those individuals were arrested during an initiation ceremony inside a bush in Obinagu, Abagana, also in Njikoka Local Government Area, where ritual materials and personal items were recovered.
