Tension has gripped the Lilu community in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State after armed assailants attacked St. Andrews Anglican Church, Isiokwe, killing two persons, including the wife of the presiding priest, and setting parts of the church ablaze.
When Punch visited the scene on Monday, the premises were deserted, with burnt vehicles, destroyed structures and scattered belongings bearing witness to the early Sunday morning violence.
Residents stated that the heavily armed attackers invaded the church just as worshippers were preparing for service.
One eyewitness said, “A brutal attack occurred at the St. Andrews Anglican Church, Isiokwe in the early hours of Sunday. The hoodlums invaded the church… started shooting, setting properties on the church premises ablaze.
“Unfortunately, they brutally murdered the wife of the church priest and one other person. They also injured many others, razed down the priest’s house to ashes, burnt down some church vehicles and other church properties, including a part of the main church building.”
He lamented that such a wicked act on a holy day had not received sufficient public attention.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, had ordered intensified security operations in the area.
“The Commissioner of Police… has condemned in the strongest terms the attack, which resulted in the death of one person,” Ikenga said, noting that others suffered serious injuries and part of the church building was burnt.
He described the incident as “a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship.”
Ikenga added, “The Police shall relentlessly hunt down the perpetrators of this crime. No community should be subjected to such brutality. The command will not allow criminals to instill fear or destabilize the peace we are working tirelessly to maintain.”
According to Ikenga, the command has deployed a Joint Security Team and strengthened surveillance across Ihiala and neighbouring communities.
“Police operatives are following every lead, and no resource will be spared in ensuring that those responsible are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law,” he said.
The command urged residents to remain calm and support investigators with credible information.
Lilu, a border town between Anambra and Imo states, has been under persistent attacks by armed groups for months, with residents repeatedly lamenting the deteriorating security situation.
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