Rights group, Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy & Development (FENRAD), has condemned the Thursday killing of four mourners and the injury of 15 by gunmen during a burial at Ezi, Ogidi, Anambra State.

Consequently, the group called for a declaration of a state of emergency.

The call was included in a statement issued on Friday evening by the Executive Director of the group, Nelson Nnanna Nwafor.

Nwafor described the incidents as a gross failure of the government to fulfil its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property, and also urged that a panel of inquiry should be established to investigate the ongoing killings.

The statement read: “The barbaric incident, which occurred on Thursday, 11th September 2025, has again highlighted the gross failure of the government to fulfil its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.

“A trending video on social media captured some of the injured victims receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen stormed Ezi Village, Ogidi, on Thursday and opened fire on unsuspecting mourners, turning the solemn event into a bloodbath.”

FENRAD disclosed that police, in a statement by the state command’s spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, had confirmed that it was a fracas between rival cult groups.

The group regretted that despite repeated appeals by various bodies and individuals on the ways to curtail the incessant killings, it appeared that the various tiers of government were not implementing the recommendations.

“FENRAD notes with dismay that despite repeated warnings, appeals, and policy recommendations by civil society, the state and federal governments have failed to implement decisive measures to curb the growing insecurity in Anambra. This consistent failure is costing innocent lives and eroding public confidence in governance.

“As such, FENRAD urgently calls for: A formal declaration of a state of emergency on killings and insecurity in Anambra State.

“Deployment of joint federal security forces with a clear mandate to neutralise armed groups and restore peace.

“An independent judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the massacre and prosecute those responsible.

“Comprehensive compensation, trauma care, and medical treatment for all victims and their families.”

Community policing, FENRAD said, would yield results. “We reiterate longstanding advocacy for comprehensive community-based policing as laasting solution to insecurity in Anambra and the Southeast. This must be rooted in local intelligence, trust, and collaboration between communities and trained security personnel.

“Our current security model has clearly failed. We must shift to a community policing approach that empowers local stakeholders, enhances intelligence gathering, and fosters swift response.”

The body consoled the families of the victims, standing in solidarity with them.

Nwafor advised: “The organisation urges all levels of government to rise above politics and act decisively to end the bloodshed.”