Popular Native Doctor Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki has been Arrested by Anambara State Govt -IPOB Demands his Immediate Release

The government of Anambra State, under the leadership of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, arrested and detained a popular native doctor identified as Chukwudozie Nwangwu, alias Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki. His arrest went viral after a video of him being interrogated by the state’s Deputy Governor, Gilbert Onyekachukwu Ibezim, before he was taken into police custody, surfaced online.

A viral video on social media showed Akwa Okuko being interrogated over claims of involvement in the practice known as “Okeite”-a kind of ritual preparation associated with native doctor services he rendered. In that video, the moment was also captured where he was compelled to enter the police van in which he had been detained since Fthe series of events that transpired following an invitation to the Deputy Governor, Ibezim. What was supposed to be a routine meeting soon descended into an inquisition into his customary activities, and the native doctor was whisked away by the police.

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Akwa Okuko said during interrogation that since the state government announced its public warning to native doctors, he had ceased from conducting rituals and manufacturing charms. He said he stopped the services because of the state’s anti-native doctor stance, which the governor had made so strongly in December 2024. The governor had declared a war on what he described as “criminal” native doctors involved in illicit activities, such as preparing charms for kidnappers and armed criminals.

Well-intentioned to ensure a reduction of criminality in the state, Governor Soludo’s pronouncement has received a noisily polar reception. While some hailed the move as a necessary step in the restoration of order, many native doctors complained about the sweeping nature of the policy. The controversy escalated when the Commissioner for Information in Anambra, Law Mefor, explained that what Soludo said did not target all native doctors but those who were into criminal activities.

Akwa Okuko said, during interrogation, that he had stopped all such practices upon hearing about the governor’s directive. He specifically pointed out that the “Okeite” ritual, which had come under scrutiny, was simply a name they used to describe their traditional rituals, which, he claimed, were generally conducted in pots. Not pleased with his assertions, the Deputy Governor insisted that investigations be carried out further, including visits to Akwa Okuko’s place of work, to show evidence of whether he was still involved in native doctor practices.

Akwa Okuko was taken away in a police van following demands from the deputy governor, after efforts to leave in his car were prevented. His detention, however, raised questions on what the stand of the state government was on what had become an age-old traditional practice and the extent it should be tolerated by the police.

The arrest of Akwa Okuko, the counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor has pressed for immediate and unconditional release of the native doctor. He faulted the arrest as illegal, saying such notion contravened his fundamental rights in liberty, thought, conscience religion, and expression provided in the Nigerian Constitution.

Ejiofor, who spoke to newsmen in Owerri, described the arrest as an act of high-handedness, cautioning that it portended a very dangerous precedent for the suppression of religious and expressive freedoms in the state. He further questioned the justification for the arrest, stating that even if the viral video, which purportedly showed Akwa Okuko discussing the preparation of “Okeite,” was legitimate, there was no clear crime associated with the act.

Ejiofor had also referred to the constitutional rights under Sections 38, 39, and 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, granting fundamental freedom to the citizens of the practice of religion, expression of thought, and freedom of conscience. He insisted that this is a contravention of such liberty and called on the government to respect such rights by releasing Akwa Okuko forthwith.

The controversy surrounding the arrest of Akwa Okuko is compounded by broader political concerns in Anambra State. Ejiofor said he welcomed the Agunechemba Security Outfit as a way of combating crime in the state but warned that “the security forces should not be used as instruments of political manipulation. He warned further that with the 2025 gubernatorial election just around the corner, “any attempt by Agunechemba to try to use herself as an instrument to persecute opponents will face people’s robust resistance in Anambra”.

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In his defense of Akwa Okuko, Ejiofor insisted on the long-standing reputation of the native doctor as a respected figure in the community. He argued that Akwa Okuko has consistently denounced illegitimate and criminal practices despite his traditional practice being wrongly associated with such activities. Ejiofor declared that the arrest of the native doctor was a political move aimed at silencing those who were considered a threat to the current political dispensation in Anambra.

Comments from the legal counsel reflect broader concerns about the place of traditional and native doctors within Nigerian society. While some will view such figures as integral parts of their community and culture, others will most certainly see them as threats – at least to the extent to which their activities are perceived as connected with crime.

But supporters of Akwa Okuko now are demanding that justice be seen to be served as the state government investigates activities of the Okada operator, asking that his persecution must not be based on political pressures and public sentiments incited by a viral video, but hard evidence.

This arrest comes at a time when tensions are high in Anambra, a place where traditional practices, political ambitions, and security concerns are intersecting. As the case develops, it will certainly continue to raise debates about how the balance between the enforcement of law and respect for cultural or religious rights should be struck in the state.

The case of Akwa Okuko’s fate, with his lawyers and political sympathizers pressing for his release, still remains unclear as the Government of Anambra State has stated it will go ahead with its investigation. And this developing saga may shape the contours of the public discourse in good governance and law enforcement-and what place, if any-such traditional practices may have in modern Nigeria.