The leadership of Ihiala town in Anambra State has expelled 11 individuals accused of involvement in cult-related killings and kidnappings within the community.
The town, situated near the border with Imo State, has grappled with escalating insecurity in recent years, prompting many residents to relocate to safer areas.
In a statement issued by Barrister Okey Leo Ohagba, the President-General of Ihiala Progressive Union (IPU), the names of some banished individuals were disclosed. Despite being given a 48-hour window to present themselves to security agencies and clear their names, the accused failed to do so. Subsequently, they also neglected to surrender within an additional 72-hour grace period provided by the community for repentant cultists to publicly renounce their affiliations.
Ohagba further announced that the names and photographs of the identified suspects would be prominently displayed on various social media platforms and billboards strategically placed within and around Ihiala, facilitating their identification.
“Any person resident in Ihiala, whether indigene or not, who harbours or is seen to be associating with the aforementioned criminals and their cohorts within Ihiala town and environs hereafter, shall be treated as an accomplice by the law enforcement agencies and shall be made to suffer the same consequences/punishment meted out on the criminals.
“It is pertinent to remind the good people of Ihiala town that in line with the subsisting Anambra State government proscription order on cultism and cult-related activities, and synergy with relevant law enforcement agencies, cultism and cult-related activities remains proscribed and banned in Ihiala town,” the statement said.
