Native Doctors during protest
Native doctors in Anambra State, under the banner of the Association of Herbal Medicine Practitioners, have staged a protest at the Anambra State Government House in Agu-Awka. The demonstrators, comprising both male and female practitioners, condemned alleged extortion and harassment by the Anambra State Homeland Security Squad, also known as Agunaechemba.
Addressing government representatives, the association’s leader, Dr. Zulike Chinwuba, emphasized that native medicine is a legitimate practice, distinct from ritualistic activities. He denounced ritual killings and other harmful practices, urging the government and public to differentiate between genuine herbal medicine practitioners and fraudulent individuals.
Chinwuba also criticized certain native doctors who perform sacrifices in public spaces, such as roads and water bodies, calling such acts offensive and environmentally harmful. He revealed that the association had formed a task force to monitor and prosecute those engaging in such practices.
Additionally, he accused some presidents-general of town unions and local council authorities of imposing illegal levies on native doctors, demanding payments ranging from ₦30,000 to ₦300,000.
Another protester, Innocent Okwundu, popularly known as Igwe Njima of Mbaukwu, decried a directive requiring native doctors to register with town union leaders before being allowed to practice. He announced that an agreement had been reached with the government to establish a joint task force, consisting of native doctors, to inspect shrines and verify the activities of their keepers.
Okwundu warned that any shrine found engaging in money rituals—such as Awele, Ibobo, Uduakomili, or Okeite—would be shut down, and the perpetrators prosecuted. He also condemned the harassment of Dr. Abel Chijioke Okpalaobi, the custodian of the Nkwo Akpo shrine, who was falsely accused of being a ritualist.
According to Okwundu, some community leaders are plotting to seize shrine lands. He claimed that Okpalaobi’s resistance to such moves led to false accusations and the demolition of the Nkwo Akpo shrine, which reportedly cost ₦4.6 million to construct. Okpalaobi denied allegations of land encroachment, stating that the shrine, located near the market, has been a sacred site for generations.
In response to the protest, Governor Chukwuma Soludo, through his Chief of Staff, Ernest Ezeajughi, and the Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment, and Tourism, Don Onyenji, assured the protesters that the government’s profiling of native doctors is intended to identify and eliminate bad actors.
Ezeajughi explained that Agunaechemba operates under state law, targeting native doctors who prepare charms used for crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery.
