Imo police arrest suspected cult member carrying a firearm as they step up anti‑cult efforts.

Police operatives from the Imo State Police Command’s Nekede Divisional Headquarters have taken into custody a suspected member of the Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBMA), also referred to as Black Axe, in relation to an attempted murder case, and seized a locally manufactured pistol.

According to the command, the arrest followed a distress call from the Vigilante Coordinator of Umuoma, Nekede, who reported that a young man had been assaulted and shot by suspected cult members.

Spokesperson Henry Okoye said in a press statement that the operatives, acting on the tip, moved to the location and arrested Isa Chinagro, a 19‑year‑old from Ogwa in Mbaitoli LGA, who lives on Royce Road in Owerri Municipal.

Okoye noted that a preliminary investigation linked the suspect to the NBMA.

During the operation, police recovered a locally made single‑barrel pistol and a spent cartridge from the suspect, while other gang members fled.

The victim was rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment. The command has launched a manhunt for the fleeing gang members, and the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) has begun a further investigation.

Spokesperson Okoye also relayed that State Commissioner of Police Audu Garba Bosso warned that cult‑related activities pose a serious threat to public peace and safety, urging parents and guardians to closely monitor and advise their children against involvement in cultism, drug abuse and other criminal groups that jeopardize their futures