Native doctors in Anambra State have announced that they are compiling a list of pastors who allegedly visit their shrines to obtain spiritual powers to grow their congregations.
This development follows a recent protest led by High Priest Ikele, during which native doctors accused the Anambra State Government, under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, of harassing their members and violating their constitutional right to freedom of religion.
As a follow-up to the protest, Mazi Chukwuka Nwankwo, a well-known native doctor, revealed that they decided to expose these pastors after they failed to defend traditional religious practitioners.
“Our governor is preaching ecumenism, which means the union of all religions. We ask, is traditional religion not part of ecumenism?” Nwankwo questioned.
He alleged that some pastors, especially those who hold night vigils and perform miracles, secretly visit native shrines for spiritual assistance.
“Those people who hold night vigils and perform miracles are fake. They come to us to obtain spiritual powers to increase the size of their congregations, but we have always turned them down because it is against our religion to defraud innocent people,” he said.
Nwankwo further called on Governor Soludo to investigate church activities, claiming that some pastors deceive their congregations by selling so-called holy water, oil, and handkerchiefs while evading state taxes.
The revelation has reportedly caused panic among some pastors, with many allegedly reaching out to security operatives to prevent any disruption of their services. Meanwhile, native doctors have begun visiting certain churches, warning pastors that they will be exposed for seeking spiritual assistance from shrines while failing to support traditional religious practitioners.
Nwankwo insisted that the Anambra State Government should redirect its focus toward some new-generation churches, which he described as “the worst kind of swindlers.”
