An American-based human rights activist, Mr Martins Nwabueze, has advised Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo to ensure that genuine native doctors were protected in the fight against diabolical native doctors.
The activist who is the founder and chief executive officer of Tilova For Africa, gave the advice in a chat with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Awka, the Anambra State capital.
Nwabueze, whose group champions charity and human rights, stated that it would be wrong to compel a native doctor, otherwise, called “Dibia” in Igbo language to show evidence of an ailment they cured as a proof that they are genuine practitioners.
He said that a “Dibia” is not necessarily a “traditional medicine practitioner” adding that “Dibia, like medicine, is an umbrella profession with different variants of areas of specialties.”
Nwabueze stated that herbalists are practitioners of traditional medicine known as “Ndi nkpa-akwukwo na ngbologu” while dibias are in art of divination “igba afa”, “ilu agwu” and “ima ita” do not involve medicine, but, utilisation of supernatural powers.
He said, “It is this confusion in understanding the difference between the duties of a dibia and a traditional medicine practitioner that always make Soludo to demand that a dibia must show evidence of disease he or she cured or treated to be considered a genuine practitioner.
“Not all dibia cure ailments, not all dibia are herbalist; some are strictly into divination, “ Igba afa” “Ilu agwu” “ ima ita” and others that do not involve medicine,” he said.
Nwabueze wondered about the criteria put in place to determine who a genuine or fake native doctor is.
He said anybody linked to crimes should be arrested and prosecuted irrespective of their status on the weight of evidence against them and not on account of their religion or social inclination.
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