Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo has issued a strong warning against the state’s indigenous doctors polluting waterways and streams through their ceremonial rituals.
Speaking to supporters of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, or APGA, in the state capital of Awka on Thursday, Soludo issued the warning.
He urged the populace to back the state government’s initiatives to save, retake, and purge the state of illegal activity.
“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.
“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,” he said.
Some have reportedly expressed outrage about the state’s continued campaign on criminal native doctors, seeing the arrests as an assault on traditional religious practitioners.
The governor underlined that he is targeting criminal native doctors who have been scamming people, not traditional worshippers.
The rising number of dishonest local physicians in the state who entice young people with false promises of immediate money was denounced by the former governor of CBN.
A native doctor cannot make someone a fortune without hard effort, Soludo added, warning young people in the state not to fall for the scammers’ schemes.
