Native Doctor Jailed 11 Months For Ritual Practices In Anambra

A State High Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, on Friday, sentenced a native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwa Okuko Tiwaraki, to 11-month imprisonment over his involvement in ritual practices commonly referred to as “oke ite” and related offences.

The judgement was delivered by Jude Obiora, who presided over the case in which Nwangwu was arraigned alongside two other native doctors, Eke Hit and Onye Eze. The defendants were accused of offences bordering on money rituals, ‘oke ite’, and the preparation of charms allegedly used by criminals.

The trio was arrested in February 2025, about a month after Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo, ordered a clampdown on native doctors following the signing of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law. The law paved the way for the launch of the Agunechemba and Operation Udo-ga-chi security outfits.

The state government had maintained that the activities of some native doctors were contributing to insecurity in the state, a trend it said had significantly reduced since the introduction of the Agunechemba security outfit.

Out of the 10-count charge filed against Nwangwu, the court struck out six counts and upheld four. Justice Obiora initially imposed a six-year prison sentence with an option of a ₦60 million fine, to run concurrently.
However, following a plea bargain agreement between the defence and the Anambra State Government, the sentence was reviewed and reduced to two years.

The judge noted that Nwangwu had already spent 13 months in detention under the Agunechemba Security Squad while awaiting trial. As a result, the two-year sentence was further reduced to 11 months.

In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered Nwangwu to publicly renounce ritual practices through videos to be shared across all his social media platforms. He was also directed to serve as a Youth Entrepreneurship Ambassador for the state, producing videos and reports aimed at discouraging youths and the general public from engaging in wealth-seeking practices linked to ‘oke ite’ and other rituals.

The court further ordered the destruction of his shrine and the confiscation of all materials recovered from him prior to his arrest.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Obiora said the convict would no longer practise ‘oke ite’ or administer charms and must make public statements denouncing such practices after completing his sentence. He added that Nwangwu would serve his term at the Awka Correctional Centre.

Reacting to the judgement, defence counsel Ogwuedom Iwuoba described the outcome as a consent judgement arising from a plea bargain agreement.

“There is no way I will say I am not okay with it because it is a plea bargain agreement. That was what we agreed with the government, and the government kept its own side by sentencing him to 11 months’ imprisonment. There is no need to go on appeal,” he said.

The Anambra State Government had on April 4, 2025, formally arraigned the three native doctors before the Anambra State High Court in Awka, where they took their pleas before the matter was adjourned. The arraignment followed their arrest and detention over alleged involvement in ritual practices amid intensified security operations across the state.