Native doctors and traditional medicine practitioners under the auspices of ‘Ndi Dibia and Ezenwanyi in Anambra State’, say they have started compiling names and identities of fake pastors and self-acclaimed men of God who come to them to obtain spiritual powers to fast-track the growth of their churches.
The dibias who made this known during a protest on Thursday led by their leader, High Priest Ikele, accused Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of harassing their members while shielding pastors, thereby infringing on their constitutional right to freedom of religion and worship.
Another prominent native doctor Mazi Chukwuka Nwankwo, who spoke during the rally, announced that they have started compiling a list of fake pastors in the state as they have failed to come to the defence of the native doctors in the face-off with the state government.
Nwankwo alleged that the fake pastors who frequently visit their shrines seeking spiritual assistance to increase their flock have gone underground instead of lending support in their fight with the government.
“Our governor is preaching ecumenism, which means the union of all religions. We ask, is traditional religion not part of ecumenism?” Nwankwo queried.
“What are we talking about here? Those people who hold night vigils and perform miracles are fake, and they come to us to obtain spiritual powers to increase the size of their congregations. We have always turned them down because it is against our religion to defraud innocent people.
“There are some who even go as far as other parts of the country to obtain powers and so-called holy oil that they use to push people down in the name of anointing.
“Governor Charles Soludo should send Agunechemba to those crusades and night vigils to observe what they do in their churches. They rip off innocent people by compelling them to buy holy water, holy oil, and holy handkerchiefs, promising that people’s businesses will flourish. People pay huge sums of money for these items, yet they are not paying taxes or levies to the state government.
“The Anambra State Government should direct its focus to these new generation churches because they are the worst kind of swindlers.
“They should also convince us, as well as the public, that they are not out to witch-hunt us, the native doctors,” he said.
Source: Ripples
