A 21-year-old suspected armed robber and notorious cult leader has met a violent end after attempting to flee from police operatives raiding his hideout in the Amikwo community of Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State.
The Anambra State Police Command confirmed on Tuesday that Chukwuka Solomon died during the early morning operation on Monday, 16th February 2026, after he tried to escape a search by the Special Anti-Cultism Squad based in Enugu-Ukwu.
According to a statement released by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the suspect’s demise was not the only success of the mission. Officers recovered a significant cache of weapons from the den, including one pump-action gun, two locally made pistols, and several expanded rounds of ammunition.
The operation, however, was not without peril. SP Ikenga detailed that the police team had to repel an ambush launched by Solomon’s gang members during the search. “Blood evidence at the scene shows that some of the armed hoodlums must have escaped with various degrees of bullet injuries,” he stated.
The chain of events leading to the fatal raid began with the local community. Solomon was initially arrested through the efforts of vigilant residents of Amikwo, who handed him over to the police. They reported he was a notorious cultist terrorising their neighbourhood with firearms.
Once in custody, the suspect provided investigators with a wealth of information. During interrogation, he reportedly confessed to being a member of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity, a group also known as “Baggars.” He admitted that the weapons seized belonged to the cult and revealed he was operating under a notorious figure only identified as “Aza Man,” who is allegedly behind a wave of criminal activity unsettling Awka and its surroundings.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being a member of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity… and admitted to having operational weapons belonging to the confraternity,” the police spokesman said.
While Solomon did not survive the escape attempt, his interrogation has provided crucial leads. “The Operatives are currently working on some leads given by the suspect to arrest the gang leader and other members,” SP Ikenga added.
In the wake of the operation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has reiterated the command’s unwavering commitment to tackling the scourge of cultism, armed robbery, and other violent crimes across the state.
