PAMELA EBOH, Awka
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, has said that any proponents of Oke-Ite and Odieshi magic found innocent would be employed by the state government.
He said the decision will come if forensic tests clear them of any criminal involvement and prove their practices effective.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ partnership town hall meeting organized by the Anambra Police Stakeholders Partnership Forum (PSPF) in collaboration with RULAAC, with support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) program, implemented by the International IIDA, Mefor revealed that many of those self acclaimed magicians are currently in detention and undergoing forensic investigation.
He said, “If, at the end of the investigation, nothing incriminating is found about their art and craft, we will employ them.
“Proponents of Oke-Ite will be employed in our revenue sector to generate revenue for us, while the Odieshi adherents will be employed in our security after testing them with our own AK-47 rifle.”
“However, if the tests fail and something incriminating is linked to their practice, they will face prison. This is in line with the Anambra State 2025 Homeland Security Law.”
While condemning the use of human parts in rituals by some fake pastors and native doctors, the Commissioner emphasized the state’s commitment to restoring core Igbo values, including hard work, fear of God, respect for elders, brotherhood welfare and human dignity.
On his part, a former Nigerian Consul General in South Africa, Uche Ajulu Okeke urged the state Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo to submit a death penalty and public executions bill to the State House of Assembly to combat crime.
He added, “The countrywide escalation of crime is exacerbated by the absence of the death penalty and the routine recycling of death row criminals by politicians for nefarious electoral activities.”
Delivering a lecture on the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Prof. Sylvia Ifemeje assured the former Nigerian Consul General that her suggestions had been noted and would be considered as necessary.
Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Center (RULAAC), praised the establishment of the Agunechemba security outfit by the Anambra State government as an audacious move by Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
He said, “We welcome the bold and audacious steps taken by the Governor of Anambra State in confronting crime and insecurity in the state,.”
Oke-Ite is a ritual practiced mostly by young men for quick financial gain, while Odieshi is a charm believed to offer protection against gunshots or bullets penetrating the body.
As part of efforts to sanitize Anambra State of crime and criminalities, top proponents of these magical acts have since been arrested and detained for investigations.
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