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Why high-profile native doctors are still in detention – Anambra govt
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, has clarified that the high-profile native doctors currently in detention over their alleged involvement in criminal activities are still being detained on the orders of the court pending the determination of the criminal suit against them.
Mefor was reacting to rumours making the rounds across the state that the native doctors were deliberately detained in different detention facilities of the “Operation Udo-Ga-Achi” security outfit without being arraigned in court for trial.
Three prominent native doctors – Onyebuchi Okocha (popularly known as Onye Eze Jesus), Chidozie Nwangwu (Akwa Okuko), and Ekene Igboekweze (Eke Hit) – were arrested in February following Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s crackdown on the activities of traditional spiritualists in the state.
Following their arrest and subsequent detention, the three of them were docked at the Anambra State High Court, Awka, and after taking their pleas, the matter was adjourned, where it is still pending.
Their arraignment came about a month after they were arrested and detained for various offences bordering on “money ritual”, “oke ite” and “preparation of charms for criminals”, among others.
Since then, questions have been raised over their whereabouts and legal status, with claims circulating that they were being held by the state’s vigilante-backed security outfit without being charged.
But speaking to journalists at CANA House in Awka on Wednesday, the state Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, dismissed the allegations, stating that the suspects had been arraigned before a high court in Awka and were being detained legally.
He said, “Udo-Ga-Achi is made up of vigilante groups and police and those high-profile native doctors being detained like Onyebuchi Okocha (alias Onye Eze Jesus), Chidozie Nwangwu (a.k.a. Akwa Okuko), Ekene Igboekweze (alias Eke Hit, and others are not being detained without the approval of the police.
“However, if you feel your right is being trampled upon, you go to court to seek redress. Nobody is being held unduly. All these native doctors, none of them is being held by us, they are being held under the order of the court.
“Police is part of the ‘Udo-Ga-Achi’ security outfit, the suspects may be detained wherever the police approve the suspects arrested should be and that has been the practice. People who are saying they are being detained, where do you keep suspects, in the Vatican?.
“They should be detained somewhere until they are taken to court. Nobody is being held in Anambra unduly. They are there under the orders of the court and releasing them means disobeying order of court.”
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Speaking in an exclusive interview in Calabar, on Wednesday, Obono-Obla described the generalization as defamatory and unacceptable.
Former presidential aide and legal expert, Okoi Obono-Obla, has condemned the recent protests in Ghana during which some demonstrators branded Nigerians as criminals.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Daily Post in Calabar, on Wednesday, Obono-Obla described the generalization as defamatory and unacceptable.
“You cannot brand someone a criminal without a verdict from a court of competent jurisdiction,” he stated.
“To suggest that all Nigerians are criminals and should therefore be expelled from Ghana amounts to defamation”.
Obono-Obla expressed fears that if the Ghanaian government were to yield to what he described as a mischievous agitation, bordering on xenophobia, it would not only damage the diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Ghana but also breach the ECOWAS Protocol that governs the free movement of its citizens.
The social activist expressed displeasure, saying the generalization that Nigerians were all criminals was both unfair and unfounded.
He argued that in criminal law, there is no principle of vicarious liability, saying “this is a universal standard.”
He explained that the two countries, Nigeria and Ghana, are both member states of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, whose Treaty and Protocol make provisions for the free movement of people and goods across member states.
“This is why there are many Nigerians in Ghana, and many Ghanaians in Nigeria and other ECOWAS member states because when one wishes to travel to these countries, no visa is required.
“Now, if some Ghanaians are calling for Nigerians to leave Ghana due to allegations of criminal activity, how can it be justified to claim that all Nigerians in Ghana are engaging in such activities?”
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He stressed that safeguarding Lagos’s historical records is essential to protect societal values and prevent the distortion of the state’s heritage.
Former Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has frowned at the current trend of renaming streets in Lagos.
According to him, such arbitirary renaming is taking place without proper regard for the legacy of those being commemorated.
Fashola stated this statement during the public unveiling of “Discover Lagos State: A History Puzzle Book (Volume 1)” held at the Civic Centre in Victoria Island on Tuesday.
He stressed that safeguarding Lagos’s historical records is essential to protect societal values and prevent the distortion of the state’s heritage.
Referencing archival materials from the University of Glasgow, Fashola highlighted the importance of documentation in shaping public memory and national identity.
He specifically mentioned Dr. Isaac Ladipo Oluwole, who studied at the university between 1913 and 1918 and later became Nigeria’s first African medical officer of health in the Lagos colony.
Fashola recounted how Dr. Oluwole pioneered school health services and founded Nigeria’s first school of hygiene in Yaba in 1920.
He noted that a street in Ikeja — Ladipo Oluwole Street — was named in his honour to immortalise his contribution.
“But it is perhaps instructive that we are discussing street naming and street unnaming, and I keep my gunpowder dry,” Fashola said, hinting at the current controversy around renaming streets.
He emphasized the importance of recognizing the reasons behind such namings, urging Lagosians to understand the legacies that such names represent.
Fashola also called for increased funding and support for the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB), the agency that developed the puzzle book.
He praised LASRAB for going beyond educational resources to serve as a vital repository for the state’s historical records.
Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the event, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat applauded the book as an innovative educational tool designed to nurture historical consciousness among young people.
Hamzat also commended Fashola’s legacy in setting up LASRAB, recalling how his administration instituted measures to ensure critical state documents were archived across ministries, including LASRAB.
“This foundational act was not merely administrative. It was an intentional effort to institutionalise, preserve, document, and disseminate Lagos’s narrative for posterity,” he said.
“It is important that we don’t only understand ourselves, but we must understand our history so we don’t lose ourselves.
“This book is a creative method of crafting historical consciousness that informs while it also entertains. That way, we don’t distort our history and we don’t misunderstand our being.”
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The protest, which took place on Wednesday, drew community members who described the renaming as a disregard for their heritage and an attempt to erase their cultural identity.
The many residents of Ilaje Road in Bariga, Lagos, have staged a protest against the Bariga Local Council Development Area’s (LCDA) recent decision to rename the road in honour of music icon King Sunny Ade.
The protest, which took place on Wednesday, drew community members who described the renaming as a disregard for their heritage and an attempt to erase their cultural identity.
The controversial name change was reportedly approved by the immediate past LCDA chairman, David Kolade Alabi, just before the end of his tenure, despite earlier opposition from residents.
Addressing the protesters, the Baale of Ilaje/Bariga, High Chief Kayode Ayetiwa, disclosed that the newly sworn-in LCDA chairperson, Bukola Adedeji, had called him ahead of the protest, appealing for patience and promising to reverse the decision. However, the community proceeded with the protest and also submitted a formal petition to the council.
Ayetiwa stressed that the name Ilaje Road has been in existence since 1948 and represents an important part of the community’s history and identity.
“We will not allow the legacy and name of Ilaje Road to be erased, no matter how prominent the individual chosen for the renaming may be,” the Baale said.
The community’s protest letter described the former chairman’s action as unconstitutional and carried out without the consent of local councillors.
Raphael Irowanu, President General of Egbe Omo Ilaje, voiced concerns about what he called a larger pattern of marginalisation, noting that the Ilaje population in Lagos State numbers around four million people with strong ancestral ties to Yoruba history.
According to him, the road renaming, coupled with ongoing demolitions affecting the community, points to an attempt to displace and undermine the Ilaje people.
He warned that continued disregard for their concerns could have political repercussions for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2027 elections.
While acknowledging that King Sunny Ade, like the Ilaje people, hails from Ondo State, Irowanu maintained that naming the road after the musician would only create division rather than foster unity.
Protesters displayed placards calling for the restoration of the road’s original name and insisting that Ilaje Road remains a symbol of their history and must not be changed.
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