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There is panic in Aba, Abia State, over the killings of some young men suspected to be members of the dreaded Aro Cult Group by unknown gunmen.

Residents told Vanguard that corpses of the suspected cultists litter in areas like Over Rail, Cemetery road, Omuma road, Apostolic Road and Nwangwa Street, Onitsha road , Ama Ogbonna, as the killings have become a daily affair.

Vanguard gathered that over five suspected cultists were killed on 25th April , 2022, while enforcing the sit at home in Over Rail and other areas of the city.

“In the past one week, over 10 suspected cultists have been killed by unknown people with their bodies dumped for public display. It has become a daily affair, you will just wake in the morning to see one or two corpses dumped in the street. We don’t know who is behind the killings, but people have identified the dead ones as cultists. We are afraid that these killings will bring more trouble in the Over Rail area because the cultists will regroup,” a resident of the Over Rail area told Vanguard.

Another resident of Onitsha road, who simply gave his name as Idika, said; “What’s happening is not a cult war. This area is dominated by the members of the Aro Cult. They’re not at war with any other group, but what we’re seeing is a killing that looks like what Bakassi Boys did here between 1999-and 2003.

“The people killing those boys are sending a direct message because their bodies are dumped where the owners will see them and the killings are not done with the fight. None of those killed so far was a stranger to the people of the area. They are notorious boys. People are afraid because the killing is definitely not by the police or the army. Many are calling the killers unknown gunmen but I can’t place my hands on their identity.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Abia State Command, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, failed as he did not pick up calls placed on his mobile number.

However, a Police source at Aba Area Command who confirmed the incident , said the police are aware of the matter.