The West African Pilot News story was to bring to light the arbitrary tactics of invading homes of suspects and arresting them by the police Ant-Cult Squad in Anambra. The residents of young men suspected to be members of cult groups are invaded in the dead of the night and arrested. Some of our readers and residents of Anambra state have reached out to complain about the activities of cult groups in parts of the state. This does not make abduction by police authority right or excusable. However, to better understand the security situation as it relates to cult activities in Anambra state, we have gone to interact with some residents to ascertain the seriousness or otherwise of the problem possed by cultism to residents of Anambra state.
“They invaded my office and even threatened to kill my boss”, said one of our respondents, a medical practitioner who prefers not to be identified. Speaking on their modus operandi, he observed that “they mark themselves under the umbrella of cultural masquerade, but those boys are the ones perpetuating the evil. You know like today, (Sunday Eke- Eke is one of the market days in Igbo land) if you go to Amichi (a town in Nnewi South LGA of Anambra state) they are parading, they are the same people tormenting the public. They will stop people from threatening them with weapons. Twice they have stopped me showing me axe and other weapons that I must give them money”, he said.
In Osumenyi a nearby town to Amichi in Nnewi South LGA, the story is much the same. There are many complaints of attack by this group, acts of intimidation and use of violence on private citizens to extort them. “They can just come into your office or house and make demands, just like that, small, small boys”, said a resident of Osumeyi.
The rise in cultism under the guise of cultural or traditional activity has also been witnessed during cultural festivities like Imo Awka, which is a yearly cultural festival in Awka, the Anambra state capital. This usually spills over into street cult rivalry that results in the death of many young men. During Afiolu Nnewi, reports of violence, intimidation, and dispossession have become part of the Afiolu festivity.
Only recently, two young boys were arrested by the Police for snatching a car and killing the owner of the car. The two boys from Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government Area who live very close to the Anglican cathedral in Amichi are members of the group, according to their cousin who spoke to West African Pilot News correspondent on phone. In Oba Idemili South LGA, the fracas between Oba youths and IPOB is traced to cultism.
“We don’t sleep before. It is now that police started picking them that we sleep. Police have picked some of the key members in Amichi. There is one they said is their chairman, that one is still on the run” said an Amichi resident, who does not want to be mentioned.
The West African Pilot News gathered that some residents of Amichi had petitioned the Special Anti Robbery Squad- SARS on the matter but they were referred to the Anti-Cult Squad in Enugwu Ukwu which moved in and made some arrests and that is why they are now having some peaceful night rest. “As the arrest is going on, they don’t even know where their problem is coming from”, a respondent quipped.
“In Amichi, a youth corps member was harassed and threatened with a gun by secondary school students at Amichi High School. Can you imagine secondary school students threatening a corper?” said another resident of Amichi, though we could not reach the corps member to narrate his experience firsthand.
The West African Pilot News further gathered that the boys who are members of this group are between 15 years and at most 35 years. Our investigation revealed that the group has branches in Osumenyi, Ukpor, Ewulumili, and other nearby towns all in Nnewi South LGA, and also in Nnewi town.
As state and federal law enforcement authorities grapple with the menace of cultists, police squads such as the Anti-Cult Unit must utilize credible and sufficient intelligence in carrying out its duties of fighting crime. Equally important in its efforts to curb criminal activities is to avoid wrongful arrests, brutality, and extortion, which often dampens public support and goodwill. Police work succeeds if people trust the police and the people themselves help the police with useful information that will make their job a lot easy.
Ebuka graduated with a second-class upper-division degree in Political Science from the University of Calabar in Nigeria. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master's Degree in Political Science with a specialization in Government and Development Studies from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria. His academic background and professional experience have equipped him with a deep understanding of political dynamics and governance issues.
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