Law Mefor, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, has stated that Chukwuma Soludo, the state governor, has only declared war on “fake” and “devilish” native doctors who are engaged in crimes like making charms for kidnappers and gunmen.
Due to rising crime rates in the state, Soludo recently vowed war on native doctors during a state function. This declaration caused fear among traditional and native physicians throughout the state.
According to Mefor’s press statement on Saturday, the governor’s position on native doctors needed to be clarified to ease the anxiety and fear it was causing throughout the state.
Mefor insisted that to sanitise the industry, fraudulent native doctors engaged in illegal activities must be uncovered and prosecuted. He also stated that those who were actually in the business had nothing to fear from Soludo’s declaration.
“I want to address the recent disinformation generated in some desperate quarters regarding Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s stance on native doctors for the benefit of the unwary public,” he hinted.
“To correct the record, Soludo only proclaimed war on fraudulent and bad native doctors who were engaged in illegal activity, not on all native doctors. Concerned people and organisations have begun looking into South-East native doctors and have found startling information that supports Soludo’s claims.
“As part of their wicked activities, some native healers are thought to be making charms for armed robbers and kidnappers, which may or may not include offering human sacrifices in exchange for cash and protection.
“Out of a sense of duty and responsiveness, Soludo has moved to eradicate such evil and diabolical practices, which have nothing to do with authentic traditional medicine or native doctors who are genuinely serving God and humanity. These diabolical rituals have given rise to ‘Ego Mbute,’ ‘Oke-Ite,’ and ‘Yahoo Plus,’ in addition to idolatry.
“His position is not a general condemnation of traditional medicine or all indigenous physicians, but rather a focused endeavour to eradicate those who use so-called spiritual powers for illicit purposes,” he continued.
“If they are not stopped, they are deceiving the youth and will make the state into a heartless society. More clarity and knowledge are needed to guide the way forward. We must acknowledge that traditional medicine has a strong cultural legacy and that not all native physicians are involved in illegal activity.”
“Therefore, Soludo’s proclamation poses no threat to individuals who are engaged in the trade. But since we also admit that fraudulent native doctors are engaged in illegal activity, they must be revealed and prosecuted to eradicate the practice, stop our wrongdoing, and protect the state.
He claims that to eradicate criminality and support the culture of respect for human life, integrity, morality, hard work, and fear of God—for which Ndi Anambra in particular and Ndi Igbo, in general, are known—the governor begs Ndi Anambra to collaborate with the state government.
“Security is not just the government’s concern; it is everyone’s.” Therefore, the message went on, “If you see something, hear something, say something.”
