Suspected cultists on Wednesday killed a member of a rival cult, inside Eke Awka market, in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The incident happened in the morning as traders were opening their shops for the day’s business, a source said.
The source said the slain man, identified as Igwe Omeli, was a notorious cultist who was always used by the market’s leadership to collect tolls.
“He was hacked down in the market around 7 am. He sighted members of the rival cult and made efforts to escape and also alert his gang members, but he was not lucky.
“His head was cut off, including his manhood, and his assailants took them away, leaving the trunk lying inside a line in the market.
“His real name is Amobi. There was a time he was brutally attacked and dumped for dead.
“Since then, he has been in hiding. He even ran away from the hospital where he was being treated. He sneaks in and out of his family house.
“Later on, he was engaged by one vigilante outfit. Once a cultist, you must go down. One thing people must know is that cultists don’t forgive. Even when you repent, there will still come for you,” the source said.
A spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the incident, saying that operatives of the command have been dispatched to the scene.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the incident caused traders who had come out for their businesses to hurriedly shut down their shops for fear of reprisal by the rival group.