The Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuma Soludo, has issued a warning against contamination of streams and rivers by native doctors who engage in ceremonial rituals in the state.
Soludo issued the warning while addressing All Progressives Grand Alliance supporters (APGA) in Awka on Thursday.
He urged locals to back the state government’s efforts to rescue, reclaim, and cleanse the state of criminal activity.
“Stop contaminating our rivers and streams with ritual practices in the name of ‘Odinani’ (tradition). Many people rely on that water for drinking, cooking, and other household needs.
“If you must perform rituals, use a container—like a bucket—fill it with water, and carry out your practices there.
“Do not pollute public water sources. Polluted water can make people sick, and we do not want that for our communities,” he said.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, increasing crackdowns on criminal native doctors in the state have provoked outrage among some, who see the arrests as an attack on traditional religious practitioners.
The governor underlined that he is not targeting traditional worshippers but rather criminal native doctors who have been cheating people.
Soludo decried the growing number of deceitful native doctors in the state who enticed young people with false promises of rapid riches.
He advised the state’s youth not to fall for unscrupulous individuals’ scams.
He claims that no native doctor can make somebody rich without hard work.
“Go to Indonesia; the majority of people on death row for drug-related offences are from Anambra.
“These native doctors will deceive you that they will prepare an ‘invisible’ charm that will make it impossible for scanners at airports to detect trafficked drugs.
“These young people believe them, and today, many of our people are languishing in jails across the world.
“We must take action to rescue our future by focusing on raising our children with strong values of hard work, determination, and discipline,” Soludo said.
