Senseless violence swept through the Nibo community and Nodu-Okpuno Village in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State on Sunday, leaving at least 13 people dead and many more injured.
The bloodshed began during the Nibo Onwa Asaa festival when rival cult groups allegedly invaded the venue, sparking indiscriminate shooting and chaos. One eyewitness on a viral video described the scene as “Nibo on fire,” with gunshots sounding everywhere, causing panic and widespread fear.
The gruesome video showed multiple dead bodies lying across various areas of the community.
Anambra State Police Command spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, attributing it to suspected cult-related clashes. “The command is aware of a suspected cult-related clash today in Nibo, Awka South LGA. The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has ordered the immediate deployment of additional operatives to the area for necessary action,” Ikenga said.
The spokesman also encouraged witnesses to volunteer information to facilitate police action, assuring the information would be treated confidentially. “Preliminary reports of the incidents are still sketchy as the command calls on the witnesses of this incident to volunteer information that will help to identify the perpetrators for possible arrest.“
Reactions Trail Killing
One Facebook user posted about the incident, warning residents to avoid the area. “Please avoid Nibo today. Many feared dead already. They said it’s a cult clash. Our youths are dying in their numbers.”
Reports have it that the emergency ward at Amaku Teaching Hospital, Awka, was overwhelmed with victims from the attack.
This incident is a shocking reminder of the killing of 13 people at Saint Philip Church in Ozubulu on Sunday, August 6, 2017, and the massacre of close to 100 persons at a Catholic church in the city of Owo in Ondo State on June 5, 2022.
These attacks coincidentally all occurred on Sundays. The situation at Nibo has sent shockwaves through the community and beyond and raised serious concerns about the meaning of escalating violence in the South East. People now searching for answers to a strange new wave of killings and cheapening of precious human lives – a concept that is antithetical to the cultural values of the people of the area.
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