Soludo issues stern warning to native doctors to stop polluting public water with rituals

Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has issued a strong warning to native doctors, demanding they cease the pollution of public water sources with ritualistic practices.

Addressing All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) members in Awka on Thursday, Soludo urged residents to support the government’s campaign to combat criminal activities.

He directly addressed the issue of water pollution, stating, “Stop contaminating our rivers and streams with ritual practices in the name of ‘Odinani’ (tradition). Many people rely on that water for drinking, cooking, and other household needs.”

He offered an alternative, saying, “If you must perform rituals, use a container—like a bucket—fill it with water, and carry out your practices there. Do not pollute public water sources. Polluted water can make people sick, and we do not want that for our communities.”

His remarks come amid ongoing operations against criminal native doctors, which have drawn criticism from some who perceived the actions as an attack on traditional religious practices.

Read also: Nigerian govt denies dismissing Zulum’s Boko Haram warning, blames media reports 

Soludo clarified his position, emphasizing that he is targeting fraudulent individuals, not traditional worshippers. “We must take action to rescue our future by focusing on raising our children with strong values of hard work, determination, and discipline,” he stated.

Soludo expressed deep concern over the proliferation of deceptive native doctors who prey on young people with false promises of instant wealth. “These native doctors will deceive you that they will prepare an ‘invisible’ charm that will make it impossible for scanners at airports to detect trafficked drugs. These young people believe them, and today, many of our people are languishing in jails across the world,” he explained.

He further emphasized the futility of such claims, saying, “No native doctor has the power to make anyone a millionaire without hard work. Go to Indonesia, the majority of people on death row for drug-related offenses are from Anambra.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now