Recently, Anambra Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, announced his government’s intention to crack down on those he described as fake native doctors who engage in harmful practices and collude with criminal elements to procure charms for them.
Soludo’s announcement came shortly after he had announced plans to take the battle to kidnappers and armed robbers in the state, which, he said, would take effect at the end of January this year.
Although Soludo had come under some criticism from a section of the Anambra State citizenry who queried why Soludo should wait till the end of January to tackle criminality, instead of before the yuletide, not many quarreled with his resolve to fight those masquerading as native doctors to not only deceive the unsuspecting or outrightly procuring charms for criminals.
We have always maintained that those aiding criminals by fortifying them with charms (whether it works for them or not) are as guilty as the criminals themselves. Same applies to those who sell them hard substances like weed, mkpulumili and other harmful hard drugs. It is after they procure such from their sources that these hoodlums begin to act like animals and virtually shoot and kill anything at sight.
Many of the new era native doctors are fake and major in working with criminals. Nothing is too dirty a job for them to do and after making blood money, they have the effrontery to flaunt such money on social media. It is such native doctors that are leading many young men astray and championing neo-paganism.
It is a fact that many young men no longer go to church. They will readily tell anyone who cares that they are practicing the religion of their forefathers. But whereas their forefathers practiced theirs, responsibly, the ones we have today are ready to do anything to get money.
There is no kidnapper or armed robber that is either not high on drugs or fortified with charms which they believe will protect them from either capture or bullets penetrating their bodies. Yet, they keep being captured regularly and being gunned down by security personnel. Who is then fooling who?
According to the Anambra State Government, ‘In recent months, investigations by concerned groups in the South East have uncovered disturbing activities linked to some native doctors. Reports suggest involvement in preparing charms for kidnappers and armed robbers, as well as engaging in diabolical rituals, including alleged human sacrifices for money and protection. Such practices have fueled phenomena like ”Ego Mbute” and ”Yahoo Plus”—terms synonymous with ritualistic and fraudulent behaviors—raising concerns about a resurgence of idolatry within Igbo socio-cultural life’.
The government of Anambra State therefore, said it was targeting fake and devilish native doctors, aiding criminality; not genuine traditional medicine practitioners who contribute positively to society.
The Governor said his administration’s approach sought to preserve the integrity of Igbo Culture, which, it said, valued hard work, morality, and the fear of God.
Governor Soludo assured law-abiding native doctors and traditional medicine practitioners that they had nothing to fear from his administration’s actions as the focus remained on exposing and prosecuting those tarnishing the practice for personal gain and criminal purposes.
We totally agree with the Government and laud it for thinking along these lines. The fight against these diabolical elements should be total and anyone who stands in the way of its successful waging should be made to face the music.
In most villages, one sees shrines hurriedly put up in public view by young men posing as native doctors. Many of them are known to be as bad as the criminals they collude with and are known also to take hard drugs and other harmful substances.
We suggest that the State Government should work closely with community leaders and vigilantes to uproot such fake dibias, destroy their shrines and hand them over to the Government. Evil and good cannot and should not live together. We thank the Soludo Government for this move.