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Soludo Vows To Deal With Fake Pastors, Native Doctors Are Fueling Crime In Anambra
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity, emphasizing that his approach involves addressing the underlying causes rather than merely chasing criminals.
Speaking at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, where he received a Good Governance Award from Vanguard Media Limited, Soludo stated that his leadership is fully dedicated to eradicating crime, as it is a divine responsibility placed upon him at this critical point in Anambra’s history.
The governor recalled that upon assuming office nearly three years ago, seven local government areas in Anambra South were under the control of non-state actors.
While security challenges persist, Soludo expressed confidence that his administration’s latest strategies would soon restore normalcy across the state.
Security Initiative and Recent Crackdowns
Following the enactment of the Homeland Security Law by the Anambra State House of Assembly, the government launched the ‘Udo Ga Achi’ security outfit, with Agunechemba serving as its operational wing.
This unit, equipped with advanced logistics and patrol vehicles, has intensified efforts to curb crime.
A significant aspect of its operations has been the arrest of fraudulent pastors and native doctors allegedly luring youths into criminal activities with false promises of wealth.
After receiving the Vanguard Award, Soludo declared: “We have decided to take security issues to the foundation level. It’s not just about chasing criminals; it’s about getting to the roots. There are practices in the system that have continued to breed them, so we decided to uproot them. I am quite fascinated by how our efforts are being received.”
He noted that many parents, particularly mothers, had lamented losing their children to crime despite raising them with good values. However, his administration’s current actions have rekindled hope among families.
“Many of our women are lamenting that they trained their children, but they have basically lost them. They are now saying that they are beginning to have some hope and I know that this crusade is not a push button. In the coming decades, it will be appreciated that this generation imbibed certain attitudes,” the Governor added
The Rise of Fraudulent Religious and Traditional Practices
Soludo strongly criticized the “get-rich-quick” doctrines promoted by some religious leaders, condemning their misleading messages.
The Governor stated: “As Igbos, our values are rooted in enterprise, hard work, and integrity. Unfortunately, there is this new religion that promises people a crown with no cross—where they bring money to the pastor, and God supposedly doubles it. But God doesn’t double money for them; they need your own money for Him to bless you.”
He further pointed out the hypocrisy of certain religious figures who claim to heal the sick yet seek medical treatment abroad when they fall ill.
Similarly, Soludo criticized fraudulent native doctors who deceive young people with promises of supernatural wealth: “I understand that one of the children of one of the native doctors we arrested is working in one hotel in Imo state as a waiter. And this is the man making ‘Okite’ (prosperous charms) for people to become rich, but he can’t make his child rich. The unfortunate thing is that because of their actions, thousands of our youths are languishing in jail all over the world.
“They made Okite for these youths with the promise that they will pass security checkpoints with hard drugs and the machines won’t detect them and when they pass, the machines will catch them and they are in jail all over the world.
“And when they can’t get that, they go into yahoo yahoo. And because that one had failed, they went into the bush and became kidnappers to make easy money because they were promised that they don’t need to sweat.”
The governor revealed that some of these individuals had misled young people into believing they could smuggle drugs past security checkpoints undetected, only for them to get arrested and imprisoned abroad. Others, having failed in online fraud (Yahoo Yahoo), turned to kidnapping and violent crimes in pursuit of quick wealth.
Ongoing Crackdown on Fraudulent Spiritual Leaders
Soludo affirmed that law enforcement agencies would continue targeting pastors and traditionalists engaging in criminal deception.
“If they have the powers they claim, let them make all Anambra people millionaires. That way, we could all sleep and wake up to $1 million alerts in our accounts. Some are already in detention, while others have fled. But as we spread this message, I am encouraged by the positive response from the public.”
Restoring Traditional Values and Culture
Addressing the argument that such practices are part of Igbo tradition, the governor emphasized a clear distinction: “Some people say it is our culture, but it is not. Traditional religion is different from this criminal enterprise that has emerged. True traditional religion is honorable and has sanctions for disobedience. We are determined to cleanse our land.”
He also lamented how fraudulent spiritualists have polluted natural resources, likening their actions to poisoning streams that others depend on for drinking water.
“We can’t go on this way. We have kept quiet for too long. Our streams are being polluted by the Ezenwanay’s (fake mermaids) and people go there and put all sorts of things into the water and other people are a few poles away fetching the same water for drinking,” he noted.
Commitment to Transformation
Soludo reaffirmed his belief that leadership is a divine calling and that his administration is committed to leaving a lasting positive impact on Anambra:
“We are doing our part because God, in His infinite wisdom, has placed us here. I believe that on Judgment Day, each of us will be asked how we used our blessings to make the world better. I am a die-hard optimist, and that is why I applied for this job.”
He assured the people of Anambra that despite persistent challenges, the government’s ongoing efforts would soon yield significant improvements.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have nabbed Mustapha Abdullahi, the director-general of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, over alleged money laundering offences involving more than N500 billion.
TheCable understands that Abdullahi was arrested in Abuja on Wednesday and is currently being held in the custody of the anti-graft agency for further investigation.
Cable
. We’ll continue to work with local and international partners until illicit drug supply chain is fully broken in Nigeria, Marwa assures
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a large consignment of Canadian Loud, a high-potency strain of cannabis, weighing 4,173.5 kilograms with a street value of Ten Billion Four Hundred and Thirty-Three Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N10, 433, 750,000.00) only at the Tincan Island Port in Lagos.
The successful interdiction of the illicit drug consignment followed painstaking intelligence gathering, sustained surveillance, and trailing of the container, which was transloaded a number of times since it left Toronto, Canada on 28th March, conveyed through rails to Montreal, where it was loaded on board a vessel, Jakarta express voyage, which arrived Tanger Med Port in Morocco on 15th April, discharged and reloaded on another vessel, Osaka voyage, which eventually arrived the Lagos Port on Saturday 9th May 2026.
The over two months of monitoring the shipment by the Marine Intelligence Unit of NDLEA and the Tincan Island Strategic Command of the Agency, working in close collaboration with international partners particularly the United Kingdom Home Office International Operations, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, culminated in the eventual seizure of the consignment on Tuesday 12th May during a joint examination of the container by NDLEA operatives, men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
The development comes barely four days after NDLEA operatives raided a Lekki mansion used as stash house where 4,000 parcels of same psychoactive substance weighing 2,326 kilograms worth over Five Billion Eight Hundred and Fifteen Million Naira (N5,815,000,000.00) were recovered.
The illicit drug consignments from Canada were professionally packed and concealed inside two vehicles: a used Ford Bus and a Mercedes Benz C300 car, stashed within the shipping container. Speaking during the handover of the exhibits by the NCS at the Port in Lagos on Wednesday 13th May, the NDLEA’s Director of Seaports Operations, ACG Ibinabo ArchieAbia said the “achievement once again demonstrates the effectiveness of inter-agency cooperation, international collaboration, and intelligence-driven operations in combating transnational organized crime and illicit drug trafficking.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), commended the officers of the Tincan Command and the MIU of the Agency for their vigilance and professional conduct, noting that the volume of recent Loud seizures highlights a coordinated attempt by international drug syndicates to flood the Nigerian market with synthetic strains of cannabis.
“This second massive seizure in less than a week is a clear message to the international syndicates who think they can use our ports as entry points for their soul-destroying trade, that the synergy between NDLEA and Customs Service as well as other security agencies and our international partners like the Canadian Royal Mounted Police, the UK-HOIO and the US DEA is yielding fantastic results. We will not rest until every link in this supply chain is broken and those behind these shipments are brought to justice”, Marwa stated.
A prominent public affairs analyst, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu, has called for the immediate suspension and possible termination of all processes related to the proposed sale of a 40 per cent stake in the Amukpe–Escravos Pipeline, warning that proceeding under the current terms would amount to a “giveaway” of a strategic national asset.
Ikechukwu, Executive Director of the Development Specs Academy, made the remarks during an interview on Tuesday on Arise News, where he questioned the pricing, procedure, and transparency surrounding the transaction.
According to him, Nigeria is not in such financial distress as to justify disposing of a critical infrastructure asset at what he described as a “giveaway price.”
“If that is allowed to happen, it means there is no governance,” he said. “It means that people can exercise arbitrary discretion. It means that processes can be routinely violated.”
His intervention comes amid mounting controversy over the valuation of the pipeline asset. Independent assessments conducted in 2025 reportedly valued the 40 per cent stake at between $544 million and $641 million, more than double the $243 million offer associated with a transaction that collapsed in October 2024.
Ikechukwu argued that any attempt to revive or proceed with the sale on the basis of disputed or outdated valuation benchmarks would undermine due process and public confidence.
“We are not under any desperate need to sell it at a giveaway price, and that’s what appears to be happening here,” he said. “If that is allowed to happen, then it means there is no governance.”
Describing the pipeline as a “performing national asset,” the analyst noted that the facility reportedly maintains operational uptime levels of as high as 95 per cent.
“If you must sell a performing national asset, it must be sold at the right value,” he stated.
To illustrate his concerns, Ikechukwu compared the situation to a failed private land transaction later revived at an outdated price, arguing that such a practice would be unacceptable in any credible commercial environment.
He further warned that proceeding without an updated valuation process could damage investor confidence and weaken perceptions of regulatory integrity.
“But beyond all of that, where will investor confidence be?” he asked. “If you are a lender, how do you feel in this kind of environment? It might even be interpreted as sabotage.”
Beyond the question of pricing, Ikechukwu said the larger issue at stake was institutional credibility and adherence to due process.
“If that is allowed to happen, it means there is no governance,” he reiterated. “It means that people can exercise arbitrary discretion. It means that processes can be routinely violated.”
The development expert consequently called for an immediate halt to all ongoing steps connected to the proposed transaction.
“All processes leading up to the presumed attempt to sell it now should be stopped,” he said. “Quite frankly, terminated. An independent evaluation should take place so that we know the current value of what is on the table and ensure that the country does not lose money in the process.”
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