Court jails Anambra native doctor 11 months over ritual practices

A High Court in Awka, Anambra State, has sentenced a native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as “Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki,” to 11 months’ imprisonment over his involvement in ritual practices known as “oke ite” and related offences.

The judgment was delivered on Friday by Justice Jude Obiora, who presided over the case at the Awka High Court.

Nwangwu was arraigned alongside two other native doctors, Eke Hit and Onye Eze, on allegations bordering on money rituals, preparation of charms for criminal activities, and other offences. The trio was arrested in February 2025 following a statewide crackdown on native doctors.

The enforcement drive was initiated after Governor Chukwuma Soludo signed the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, which led to the creation of the Agunechemba and Operation Udo-ga-chi security outfits. The state government maintained that some ritual practices were contributing to insecurity.

Out of the 10 charges filed against Nwangwu, the court struck out six and upheld four. The court initially handed down a six-year prison term with an option of a N60 million fine to run concurrently. However, the sentence was reduced to two years following a plea bargain between the defence and the state government.

Justice Obiora noted that the convict had already spent 13 months in detention under the Agunechemba Security Squad while awaiting trial. As a result, the two-year term was further reduced to 11 months.

The court also ordered Nwangwu to publicly renounce ritual practices through videos to be posted on his social media platforms. He was directed to serve as a Youth Entrepreneurship Ambassador for the state and produce content discouraging youths from engaging in wealth-seeking rituals.

Additionally, the court ordered the demolition of his shrine and the confiscation of materials recovered during his arrest. Nwangwu is to serve his sentence at the Awka Correctional Centre.

Reacting to the judgment, defence counsel, Ogwuedom Iwuoba, described the outcome as a mutually agreed plea bargain, noting that both parties honoured the terms and that there was no plan to appeal.

The native doctors were formally arraigned at the Anambra State High Court in Awka on April 4, 2025, following their arrest amid intensified security operations targeting ritual practices and related crimes across the state.