Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has raised a fresh alarm over the growing influence of fake native doctors and self-styled prophets on the youth population in the state, warning that their deceptive practices are luring many into dangerous and criminal activities, particularly drug trafficking.
Speaking at a political gathering held in Awka, the state capital, the governor decried the manipulative tactics used by these individuals to convince young people to take unnecessary risks, including relying on charms and talismans to evade security detection.
According to Governor Soludo, some native doctors and prophets claim to have mystical powers capable of making airport scanners “blind” to drugs being trafficked. He lamented that these misleading claims have had devastating consequences for unsuspecting young people.
“These young people would believe them, and today, many of our people are languishing in jail across the world,” he stated.
Highlighting the gravity of the issue, Soludo disclosed that 23 Anambra indigenes are currently on death row in Indonesia due to drug-related offences. He said: “Go to Indonesia, 23 Anambra youths are on death row there for drug-related offences.”
In a related development, Governor Soludo also addressed the recent protest staged by followers of a detained pastor. The demonstrators, who expressed support for the cleric, claimed he was innocent of the allegations against him, particularly the accusation that he prepared charms for criminals. But the governor firmly rejected their claims.
“We don’t arrest anybody without being sure of what he has done – without having concrete evidence,” he said.
He went on to question the credibility of some of the self-acclaimed spiritual figures, stating that many of them could not even use their supposed powers to better their own lives.
“Some of the self-proclaimed native doctors and prophets cannot even use their so-called powers to improve their own lives. Son of one of them, who is in detention, is a waiter in a hotel in Nnewi. If it were that simple, why didn’t he make his son a millionaire?” he asked.
Turning attention to the detained pastor, the governor revealed that the individual had claimed he was only a content creator. However, Soludo accused him of misleading the youth with false narratives about wealth and success.
“That particular pastor also claimed that he is just a content creator. But he has used things like this to deceive our young people that you can become rich without doing any work, as long as you do money rituals,” the governor stated.
“That is why you see young people who wake up in the morning and retire to beer parlours drinking, hoping to get rich later in life without hard work or preparation,” he added.
