Ebonyi cult clash leaves barber and tricyclist dead in Ezza North, as police launch investigation into Saturday night’s fatal attack

A deadly Ebonyi cult clash has left two men dead, including a local barber and a tricycle operator, in the Oriuzor community of Ezza North Local Government Area.

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The attack, believed to have been carried out by members of a rival cult group, occurred on Saturday night, sending shockwaves through the otherwise quiet community.

According to residents, the assailants, suspected to belong to the Vikings confraternity, stormed the area and fatally attacked two men identified as Ogele Ifeanyi and Nweke Emmanuel.

Community sources revealed that Ifeanyi, a well-known barber in the area, was the main target of the killers, who had allegedly been pursuing him for some time.

However, Emmanuel, a tricycle operator, was reportedly caught in the crossfire while visiting the barbershop for a haircut. Locals described him as an innocent bystander “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Residents have decried the growing wave of cult-related violence in the state, calling on authorities to step up surveillance and curb the menace.

“This is not the first time such incidents are happening. Our people no longer sleep peacefully. The government must act before it gets worse,” one community member said.

Confirming the killings, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, told journalists on Monday that investigations were underway.

“The incident occurred on 1 November 2025, around 10 p.m. The command is investigating the incident,” Ukandu said.

He identified the victims as Ogele Ifeanyi, who was killed in his barbershop, and Nweke Emmanuel, a tricycle operator who was not linked to any cult group.

The police spokesman assured residents that security operatives had been deployed to restore calm and track down the perpetrators.

The incident echoes a similar cult clash in May 2019, when at least three people were killed and several houses burnt in Akpoha, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

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With communities now living in fear of reprisal attacks, calls for decisive government action against cultism continue to grow louder across Ebonyi.