By Florencemary Nwabueze
Panic gripped the Agu-Ifite community in Awka on Tuesday morning after heavily armed assailants stormed a residential settlement in the hinterland, killing four people and setting homes ablaze in what authorities have described as a gruesome attack.
The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the incident occurred in the early hours of July 21, 2026, with a joint security team responding to a distress call from the scene.
According to police spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga, officers arrived to find four male victims with fatal injuries, their hands bound. The victims had suffered multiple machete cuts and blunt force trauma.
Two residential huts within the settlement were burnt down during the raid.
The police also discovered four dead cows at the scene, while two others had been slaughtered, with portions of meat removed by the attackers. Abandoned sacks containing chunks of meat were recovered a short distance away, indicating the assailants fled in haste.
Witnesses said the attackers were heavily armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, double-barrel guns, and machetes.
One survivor escaped unharmed and is currently assisting security operatives with information, Ikenga said.
The Anambra State police command extended its condolences to the families of the victims through the Sarkin Fulani, the traditional leader of the Fulani community in the state, and vowed to conduct a "thorough, professional, and intelligence-driven investigation" to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Residents of Agu-Ifite and surrounding areas have been urged to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information that could aid the ongoing probe.