The Anambra State Police Command has raised the alarm over the alleged plot by families of those killed on Sunday during the Nibo community’s Onwa Asaa festival celebration in Awka-South local government area to frustrate investigations into the circumstances that led to their death.
Sources in Nibo put the number of those killed at 15 when a suspected gang of cultists stormed a restaurant in the town in a Lexus SUV during the community’s traditional Onwa Asaa festival celebration.
The assailants had during the attack opened fire on people while drinking, eating and making merriment at the traditional festival.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement on Monday disputed the casualty figure, insisting that only five persons were killed, while three other persons sustained serious injuries and were being treated in a hospital.
SP Ikenga, while giving update on the attack, expressed the commitment of the state police command to arrest the perpetrators but frowned at the act of conspiracy to bury evidence and disrupt the ongoing investigation.
The state police image-maker accused family members of the deceased of trying to impede investigations aimed at unravelling circumstances that caused their gruesome murder.
He said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Nnaghe Itam led a team of operatives to the scene of the incident for on-the-spot assessment, only to discover that the family members of the deceased were trying to cover up the circumstances of their death.
“Anambra State Police Command remains committed to the ongoing investigation and to arrest the perpetrators of the cult-related killings in Nibo yesterday 20/10/2024, which recorded five persons dead, and three others seriously injured and currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
“The Command also frown at the act of some deceased relatives to bury evidence, suppress information and disrupt the ongoing investigation,” Ikenga said.
He however quoted CP Itam pledging that the Command has redoubled its efforts to leave no stone unturned in hunting down the assailants.
