Anambra Governor Soludo Calls Out Fraudulent Native Doctors, Rallies Support Against ‘Magical Wealth’ Scam

 

Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has issued a stern warning to residents of the state, urging them not to fall prey to the deceptive promises of so-called native doctors who claim to possess supernatural powers to make individuals wealthy without honest work.

Speaking in Awka on Tuesday during an address to a crowd of defectors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to eradicating criminality disguised as traditional practices.

The governor’s remarks come amid a statewide crackdown on native doctors involved in activities such as producing charms for kidnappers and duping youths into believing in wealth rituals, commonly referred to as “Oke Ite.” According to Soludo, around 40 of these individuals are currently in custody following government-led raids.

While acknowledging concerns raised by traditional religious practitioners who view the arrests as an attack on indigenous spirituality, Soludo clarified his position. “We are not against traditional worshipers. We know who they are; they are people of deep belief and integrity. What we are against are charlatans who cloak themselves in tradition while misleading young people and aiding criminal activities,” he explained.

The governor painted a grim picture of the real-life consequences of this rising trend. “Do you know that 23 of our brothers and sisters from Anambra are currently on death row in Indonesia for drug-related offenses? These fake native doctors told them that they could walk through airports with hard drugs and that the scanners would not detect them. Now they are languishing in foreign prisons,” he lamented.

Soludo did not mince words when it came to the absurdity of the claims made by these so-called native doctors. “Anyone claiming they can make you a millionaire overnight—bring them to us. We will arrest them and bring them to Awka. If they can make even one person rich instantly, we will line up the whole of Anambra. Don’t you want to be a millionaire? I want to be one too!”

He ridiculed the hypocrisy of some of the arrested individuals, revealing that one of the detained native doctors had a son working as a waiter in a hotel in Nnewi. “If his powers were real, why didn’t he make his own child rich?” the governor questioned, drawing laughter and nods from the audience.

In a particularly striking anecdote, he noted that one of the arrested men now claims to be a mere content creator, despite having built an online following by promoting supposed money rituals. “This is the kind of deceit we are fighting. They convince our youths that you can be rich just by performing some ritual, and the next thing you know, these young men are idle all day, drinking at beer parlors, waiting for wealth to appear.”

Governor Soludo reiterated his administration’s resolve to distinguish between genuine traditional practices and exploitative, dangerous acts masquerading as religion. “Traditionalists of old were among the most honest people. They feared the gods. What we have now are fraudsters who trade in human gullibility.”

The crackdown, according to Soludo, will not stop until the state is free of those who exploit desperation and ignorance for profit. “Let it be clear: Anambra will not be a safe haven for fraud in the name of culture. We will continue to expose these people and protect our youths from falling into their traps.”

As the governor ramps up efforts for his re-election campaign, he is also calling for collective vigilance from the public. “The dream of a prosperous Anambra cannot be built on shortcuts and scams. It must be built on hard work, innovation, and integrity,” he concluded to thunderous applause.