Forty-eight suspected cultists who allegedly belong to the Vikings Confraternity and two native doctors were yesterday paraded by the Anambra State Police Command.

The two native doctors were apprehended for allegedly preparing charms for armed robbers and kidnappers.

Briefing journalists at the state Police Headquarters in Awka, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Ali Okechukwu, said the cultists were arrested in various parts of the state as they were carrying out the initiation of new members.

He gave items recovered from the suspects to include guns, cartridges, machetes, large quantities of Indian hemp and other dangerous weapons.

According to Okechukwu, the suspects were rounded up in Awka, Awkuzu, Nnewi, Ogidi and Ihiala, among other places.

The PPRO noted that most of the suspects were students in various tertiary institutions, saying that all of them would soon appear in court as investigations into their cases have been concluded.

He said that the arrest of the suspects followed tip-off by members of the public and urged the people of Anambra to continue to support the police in its efforts to rid the state of crime.

In his words, “We believe that with joint effort between the police and the people, coupled with the massive support the state police command is receiving from Governor Willie Obiano, Anambra State will soon be free of criminal elements.”

Okechukwu assured the people of a crime-free Yuletide, reminding them that the ban on the use of firearms was still in force.

He also warned that anybody caught with or firing knockout during the period would face the full weight of the law.

•Photo shows Anamba Police Commissioner Hosea Karma.