The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, Dr Ikioye Orutugu, has ordered an immediate investigation into a viral video which content showed a group of youths initiating a toddler in an unlawful cult ceremony.
CP Orutugu also directed specialised operatives of the Anti-Cultism Squad, Juvenile Welfare Unit, and the State Intelligence Department to work collaboratively to verify the authenticity and origin of the video, identify the victim and ensure his safety and wellbeing, as well as identify and apprehend all individuals involved or complicit in the act
Thenewsbearer reports that the video had circulated on social media platforms where it was seen as the group of boys put an unidentifiable object into the crying minor’s mouth, forced him to drink a substance suspected to be alcohol and use belt to softly whip him, after which a beret was put on his head, indicating his membership of a cult group.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement on Friday, October 24, said that the preliminary review of the footage gave an indication that the incident might have taken place within a community in the state.
The PPRO decried the acts portrayed in the video, saying that they were not only criminal “but also deeply offensive to public morals, safety, and the protection of minors who remain one of the most vulnerable groups in the society.”
The Command’s spokesman stated further that the Commissioner of Police, who strongly condemned any form of child abuse, indoctrination, harassment, psychological grooming, or forced initiation, warned that such acts would not be tolerated under any circumstances in the state.
He therefore called on any member of the public with credible information that could assist the ongoing investigation to come forward, adding that information might also be reported through the following contact channels: 112; 07039194332; or the PRO on 08039334002.
The police boss assured that the identity of informants would be protected and all reports treated with utmost confidentiality.
He reassured Ndi Anambra and residents of the state that the Command remains firmly committed to protecting children, combating cultism, and enforcing the law decisively to ensure safety and peace.
