The President-General of Anaku community, in the Anyamelum Local Government Area of Anambra State, Mr Paul Nwuba, has denied that some Anaku youths killed a 53-year-old farmer, Mr Okoye Tagbo, and used his body parts to appease the community’s deity, known as Ekwensu.

Tagbo, an indigene of Omor community, was killed on January 10, 2022, as vital organs of his body were cut off.

Anaku and Omor communities have been embroiled in a crisis over claims to farmland located at their boundary area.

The situation has led to killings, abductions and destruction of lives and property in both communities.

Speaking to our correspondent on Monday, Nwuba said the Ekwensu deity only accepted dogs, goats and cows as sacrifice items and not human parts.

He added that the suspects might have killed Tagbo for “some other ritual purposes” and not to appease the deity.

Nwuba lamented that despite efforts by both the police and the Anaku community towards apprehending the two principal suspects in the killing, the people of Omor were not satisfied.

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He said, “Anaku is the most peaceful community in Anyamelum LGA. The allegation that the young man from Omor community was killed to appease our deity is not true. Every community in Anambra has its deity; even Omor has its own called Aja na Ukwu.

“They are accusing two sons of Anaku of killing their son, Okoye Tagbo. They have reported to the police. We are making a lot of efforts to see that those suspects, who are at large, are apprehended, but they have turned it against our deity; we don’t know the problem they have with Ekwensu.

“The Omor people have fought all neighbouring communities over land. They are overpopulated and they are more than their land mass; what they do is to encroach into other people’s land, but we will not allow them. Those two boys they are accusing of killing their son and sacrificing him to the deity are not even connected to the deity.”

The Divisional Police Officer in Anyamelum LGA, DSP Chukwunonso Onunkwo, confirmed that some suspects had been arrested, adding that they were helping in the investigation.