Three people were reportedly killed while several others sustained injuries in separate attacks by suspected cultists in Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday.
The first attack occurred in the Amaenyi area of the state capital, where two men were allegedly shot dead by the assailants. The shooting reportedly caused panic in the densely populated area, triggering a stampede during which several residents were injured.
In another incident on SM Okeke Street, a popular Awka comedian and town crier, Aiza Nwosu, was reportedly shot dead.
Sources said the attackers allegedly monitored and trailed Nwosu from his residence before launching the attack.
Nwosu was widely known in Awka for moving around the town in a Hilux vehicle fitted with loudspeakers, playing music while carrying out his activities as a town crier.
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He was reportedly driving along SM Okeke Street when the suspected gunmen, said to be travelling in a Toyota Corolla with tinted windows, attacked and shot him.
The comedian reportedly died inside his vehicle, which later ended up in a ditch, suggesting that he may have been taken by surprise during the attack.
While some residents reportedly said Nwosu had no known connection with any cult group, others alleged that his son was associated with a confraternity.
Awka has experienced cult-related violence in the past, with clashes between rival groups claiming several lives.
Police authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the incidents as of the time of the report. The latest attacks have raised fears of a possible resurgence of cult-related violence in the Anambra State capital.
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