Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, revealed on Wednesday that 23 indigenes of the state are currently on death row in Indonesia for drug-related offences.
Soludo shared this information while addressing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who had defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in support of his re-election bid. He emphasized the role of deceptive native doctors who convince young people that they can bypass security checks when smuggling drugs by using charms.
The governor explained, “These native doctors deceive people by claiming that they can prepare charms that will blind the scanners at airports when carrying drugs. Unfortunately, many of our young people fall for this, and now they are languishing in prisons across the world.”
Soludo warned that anyone found engaging in such deceptive practices would be arrested, citing the example of one native doctor whose son is a waiter in Nnewi despite the doctor’s claimed abilities.
He further criticized those who mislead the youth with promises of wealth through fraudulent practices. “One of those arrested has claimed to be a content creator, yet he has used these false promises to deceive young people into thinking they can become rich without effort, as long as they perform money rituals,” Soludo said.
The governor expressed concern over the impact of these deceptive beliefs on the youth, noting, “This is why many young people wake up in the morning and head to beer parlours, hoping to get rich without putting in the necessary work.”
Soludo clarified that while the state respects traditional religion, it is committed to tackling those who promote harmful practices under the guise of spirituality. He affirmed, “We are not against traditional worshippers; what we are against are those who deal in dangerous medicines and charms.”
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s determination to continue cracking down on those promoting get-rich-quick schemes, such as Oke Ite and other fraudulent activities.
