{"id":93095,"date":"2025-02-25T16:53:44","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=93095"},"modified":"2025-02-25T16:53:44","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:53:44","slug":"wahala-witch-doctors-lament-alleged-witch-hunt-by-anambra-govt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=93095","title":{"rendered":"Wahala! Witch doctors lament alleged witch-hunt by Anambra govt"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of witch doctors and traditional medicine practitioners in Anambra State are complaining that they are being witch-hunted by the administrof GovernorCharles Soludo.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact they have gone on the offensive reaching out to the dark world to move against the governor, who has remained unrelenting in his onslaught.<\/span><\/p>\n

The traditionalists and witch doctorsreferred to as Ndi Dibia and Ezenwanyi in Anambra State, have protested against alleged selective justice and they claiming the use of Agunaechemba security operatives was an exercise in witch-hunting, anti-traditional faith, and a violation of their constitutionally-backed fundamental rights to practise the religion of their choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The witch doctors, who gathered from various parts of the state, decried what they termed the stigmatisation of their profession by the state government, which they accused of using Agunaechemba to harass and crack down on their activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

During the protest, they offered prayers and performed rituals to resist what they described as the governor\u2019s interference.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at a secret location, the group\u2019s leader, High Priest Ikele, described Governor Charles Soludo\u2019s actions as \u201cunjust and discriminatory.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Ikele said, \u201cWe\u2019re not cultists or criminals. We\u2019re traditional healers serving our communities for generations. Soludo\u2019s attempts to stigmatise and suppress our activities won\u2019t succeed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The native doctors rejected the clampdown and vowed to continue their prayers and rituals until their demands are met. They also pledged to oppose the governor\u2019s second-term bid in the November 8, 2025 election.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the state government has concluded plans to prosecute arrested native doctors for alleged violations of the newly unveiled Anambra State Homeland Security Law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those currently in custody for allegedly promoting money rituals, including \u201cYahoo plus,\u201d and preparing charms for criminals include Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki; Onyebuchi Okocha, also known as Onyeze Jesus (Father of All Men); and Ekene Igboekweze (Eke Hit) from Okija in Ihiala Local Council.<\/span><\/p>\n

Igboekweze, known for promoting native practices on Facebook, had reportedly criticised Nwangwu and Okocha for being easily captured by security operatives. However, he was also apprehended a few days later.<\/span><\/p>\n

The state\u2019s Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, confirmed plans to charge the native doctors to court upon the conclusion of investigations. He dismissed claims that Governor Soludo\u2019s administration is opposed to traditional worship.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Mefor, the government is focused on combating crime and addressing those who enable it, including native doctors who prepare charms for criminals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking on the state-owned Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), monitored by The Guardian over the weekend, Mefor emphasised that the accused individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court. Upon conviction, they will be sentenced according to the provisions of the new Homeland Security Law.<\/span><\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe state government is committed to eradicating criminal activities in Anambra and restoring sanity across the state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u25cf Additional report by The NewsGuru<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A group of witch doctors and traditional medicine practitioners in Anambra State are complaining that they are being witch-hunted by the administrof GovernorCharles Soludo. In fact they have gone on the offensive reaching out to the dark world to move against the governor, who has remained unrelenting in his onslaught. The traditionalists and witch doctorsreferred […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":91941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,7],"tags":[71,7011,7012],"class_list":["post-93095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture","category-news","tag-anambra","tag-witch","tag-witchhunt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}