Daredevil gunmen suspected to be Aye (NBM) cultists unleashed terror in Ogidi, Chinua Achebe’s hometown in Anambra State’s Idemili North LGA, Friday night, gunning down the town’s President General, Sir Ikwuka Okoye Anumili, and an unidentified companion.
The attack at Ogidi School Field was announced in real-time on social media, with a prominent town son lamenting on WhatsApp: “Duly elected and recognised by Anambra Government… Shot dead by cultists in Ogidi on Friday evening, February 6.” Another Facebook post mourned: “Chief Ikwuka Okoye, a.k.a Anumiri, the current President General of Ogidi Town Union has been murdered by men of the underworld this evening. This is very sad indeed.”
Reports from Naija Confra linked the killings to revenge for Emma Amasco, an NBM hit squad leader arrested Tuesday, February 3, while stealing phones worth over N5 million at a complex. Amasco reportedly confessed to 46 murders—including 17 in Ogidi—before local security shot him in the leg; he later succumbed to injuries. Naija Confra clarified Okoye was no cultist but accused alongside security personnel of involvement in Amasco’s arrest and death, dismissing Viking (DNKI) rivalry rumours.
Anambra State Police Command spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the incident Saturday, noting it occurred late Friday and ties to the notorious cultist’s demise. Police have launched a discreet probe to apprehend perpetrators, vowing to restore order amid rising cult menace.
Residents expressed outrage over targeting community leaders, with one Abatete source calling cultism an “existential threat” in Idemili North.
NAN reports tension persists in Ogidi as security tightens.
