Normalcy has returned to Umuonyeshi, Nsopko- Ogbaku community, in Mbaitoli Local Council of Imo State, after a suspected cultist, known as Chima (aka Jasper), was stoned to death by an angry mob for allegedly stabbing a mechanic, Chigozie Anumwee, to death.

A source told The Guardian that trouble started when a minor argument between Chima and Anumwee, at a herbal drinking spot at the weekend, snowballed into a fight, leading to Chima stabbing Anumwee to death with a “dagger knife”.

The late mechanic, the source said, had poured a liquid on Chima’s face during the argument.

After Anumwee was stabbed and he bled to death, the late Chima was immediately accosted by the angry mob, which immediately mobilised and stoned Chima to death.

Secretary of Ogbaku Youth Association, Justice Chukwunatu Nwafor, who confirmed this yesterday, said the matter has been reported to the police in the area, adding: “Their corpses have been deposited in a nearby morgue. ”

Nwafor also confirmed that community members who fled after the incident have returned to their ancestral homes.

He said the late Chima, who paternally hailed from Amakohia Ubi in Owerri West Local Council of the state, resided in his maternal home, in the community where the incident occurred, while Anumwee resided in Lawa, Isi-Ogbaku community in Mbaitoli Local Council, before he allegedly went to drink at the spot.

Meanwhile, Imo State Police Command was yet to issue a statement on the incident.