On April 4, the Anambra State Government took the trio of Akwa Okuku Tiwara Aki, Eke Hit and Onyeze Jesus to court. These three native doctors were arrested in early February following disturbing reports on how native doctors have become heavily involved in crimes that have heavily undermined the security of Anambra and other Southeast states.
According to reports, over 40 native doctors are currently being detained by the Anambra government, using the apparatus of its new security network, Agunechemba.
After almost two months in detention, the three prominent native doctors were taken to court, for the first time.
It’s worth noting that the spate of arrests of these traditional practitioners seems to have greatly reduced the seemingly unending crime rate in Anambra. Their arrests were preceded by the arrest of nine criminals who had confessed to killing the lawmaker representing Onitsha North 1 Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka and burying his corpse in a shallow grave.
Strangely, on February 18th, two of the kidnappers were alleged to have escaped from detention. The incident pointed to the fact that the kidnap and murder of the lawmaker was not a random one, and the perpetrators were trying to cover their tracks, which is why some of the suspects escaped, while others died.
Looking at the arrests, one must begin to wonder why native doctors are the main targets. But the government had earlier made it clear that they would go after those working for kidnappers, Yahoo boys, ritualists, and anyone suspected to be using human parts for any ritual purposes.
The crime rate has indeed dropped since then, meaning that indeed, some of those who were arrested must be guilty of the crime they are suspected to have committed.
But have the crimes ended? Kidnappers came back with full force, and Rev Fr John Ubaechu was kidnapped on the evening of Sunday, 23rd March 2025. Gunmen had also abducted Rev Fr Jude Onyeka on February 15th, 2025. Two weeks ago, Rev. Fr. Stephen Echezona, the parish priest of St. Augustine’s Catholic Church Ichida was kidnapped too.
Also on March 22, four persons were kidnapped along the Nsugbe–Nneyi Umuleri road, Umueri. And so it goes on and on.
WHY THESE CRIMES AREN’T ENDING YET AND WHAT MUST BE DONE
For more than 6 years now, Ogilisi Igbo has sounded a note of warning that the major reason why Igbo land has become a den of thieves, kidnappers, ritualists and criminals is that Igbos now celebrate corpses. The problem is beyond the physical, as Igbo people are known for honouring their dead by burying them as soon as possible after they pass on. But nowadays, Igbos have made it a thing of pride to keep dead bodies in mortuaries for as long as possible, thereby keeping the spirits of the dead wandering aimlessly, without going to rest in peace.
At the moment, the dead are revolting by taking possession of the living and using them to cause mayhem.
His words “Ogilisi Igbo is hailing the efforts of the Agunechemba security outfit that are doing wonders for Ndi Anambra State. I also advise that the newly established security outfit should tread with caution because Igbos are known to betray themselves. They should do proper investigations and go for the right culprits. They should avoid blackmail and intimidation and avoid arresting the innocent.
“They should never tamper with innocent souls, because before the angels and God, one innocent soul is more valued than 10 thousand criminals. They must protect innocent souls because God does not forgive anyone who tampers with an innocent soul.
“He demonstrated it with Lucifer, he said about Job, you can do what you like with him, but don’t tamper with his soul.
“Bakassi killed a lot of innocent souls and that brought their downfall. Agunechemba should be careful of innocent souls.
“The war against insecurity must be fought and the criminal elements behind it defeated for Anambra to return to calm.
“However, it is important to note that the supporters of criminals include modern voodoo practitioners who promise youths quick access to wealth without work effort or investment.
“As a spiritual leader of the Igbo nation, I advise them never to tamper with the original Igbo deities and altars in Anambra State, as every nation around the world – India, Japan, China, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Rome have retained their ancestral deities and altars and turned them into a thing of pride and an area of tourism. These altars have nothing to do with the modern Okeite practitioners. Those Okeite voodoo shrines and their practitioners must be dismantled. All the voodoo miracle churches that promise quick wealth to their members merely through prayers and clapping of hands, without engagement in meaningful work or employment, should be dismantled as well.
“The corpses that litter the mortuaries should be rounded up and buried so that the wandering spirits of the dead can rest in peace.
“Leave the traditional deities the way they were before the church came. The modern Okeite that encourages idle youths to make charms to be rich, miracle centres that pray for tenants to become landlords without work, and any voodoo practitioners that encourage wealth without work are the machinations of evil spirits and the main cause of insecurity.
“At the same, I insist that any security arrangement that does not take into consideration the evacuation of corpses littered in Anambra mortuaries cannot succeed. Let abandoned corpses in mortuaries be removed and buried. The Agunechemba should tackle mortuaries first. It is from mortuaries that the demons vacate to possess every other thing. I am insisting that Agunechemba should visit mortuaries and see how corpses have been abandoned for years. This is an abomination. They should bury this corpse so that the evil shall vacate from Igbo land. More evil emanates from mortuaries, so tackling other things without tackling the problem of corpses won’t work.
“There is established evidence that every deity forbids abomination. Therefore, the security outfit cannot find a deity that commits abomination. But what is thriving now is an abomination. Those doing Okeite and those promoting miracle churches are doing abomination. They have to separate the grain from the chaff. So they dare never go into the original traditional deities that forbid abomination.
“Keeping corpses without burial is an abomination. Without finding the formula for solving the problem, nothing will work.
“The three major causes of the problems in Igbo land are unburied corpses in Igboland, native doctors who practice rituals of Okeite, and fake churches and pastors who preach miracle money. These are not the Orthodox churches that have been there since.
At the same time, genuine churches should assist the government by tackling fake pastors that litter Anambra State. They are doing deadly jobs that idle persons shall receive miracles from God, from Jesus. That gospel is not the gospel of the church of God.
“At the same time, traditional rulers should protect the culture of our people. The traditional Okeite that uses charms, any native doctor that prepares charms, is not part of our traditional religion. Okeite is not a traditional religion. Everybody knows the traditions that have been from time immemorial. Any Igbo person that jumps up to destroy them will bring abomination to the land. We are still suffering the one stolen by the British when they came. Our people are still suffering from those which are now in their British museum.
Total cleansing of Anambra State must start from mortuaries. Some corpses have been there 19 years, 20 years, 5 years, 2 years. It’s an abomination. Mortuary incarceration of corpses is the greatest undoing of our homeland, and it must be cleaned.
“Igbos, evacuate your mortuaries. There have been dead bodies that have been there for over ten years.
If they don’t evacuate them, ana Igbo ama adi mma.
“All these miracle pastors, all these voodoo Okeite dibias, all these madmen, all these evil vices, Mkpurimmiri, cultism emanate from unsettled souls. Some of them have been there for 20 years. Evacuate them Ndi Igbo, ka unu fu uzo.
“The traditional rulers and President Generals of every community should identify the traditional deities and traditional religious practitioners and their chief priests. In our culture, we have deities, Ogwugwu and Agwu; we have all these things. All these traditional practitioners and Ndi Odinani have nothing to do with the so-called Okeite and their Yahoo abomination. These things must be considered, and none must go and destroy the deities; it’s very dangerous.
“The Agunechemba outfit should never go for the dismantling of our town and community deities because they normally have Agwu. The original traditional religion with its ofo and Agwu forbid abomination. So what voodoo charm people are doing is abomination, which the traditional followers forbid,” he concluded.
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