Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has ordered the remand of a Nnewi‑based native doctor, Ikechukwu Ezenagu, popularly known as Muomiri Afuluanya, at the Amawbia Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his case, rejecting an application by his counsel to allow him remain in a hospital due to health concerns. Justice Jude Obiora, who presided over the proceedings on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, ruled that a hospital is not a constitutional facility for the detention of an accused person. “A hospital is not a constitutional facility for the detention of a defendant,” the judge held, before ordering Ezenagu’s transfer to the correctional facility. The court also adjourned the matter to 19 June 2026 for further proceedings.
The native doctor was brought to court from a medical facility, where he had been receiving treatment. His counsel, Kingsley Awuka, applied for bail on health grounds and sought permission for his client to remain under medical care until the next adjourned date. However, the prosecuting counsel, Tobechukwu Nweke, who is also the Anambra State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, opposed the application and urged the court to remand the defendant pending the determination of the bail motion. Justice Obiora upheld the prosecution’s position, emphasising that a hospital could not serve as a detention facility.
The case has been plagued by delays arising from the defendant’s health condition. The matter was first brought before the court on 23 April 2026, but Ezenagu’s arraignment could not proceed because he appeared visibly frail and was assisted into the courtroom by security operatives. At that sitting, Justice Obiora ruled that the defendant was not medically fit to take his plea and adjourned the case to allow him to receive medical attention. At the time, a heated disagreement broke out between the prosecution team and the defence over the defendant’s fitness to stand trial. Despite the prosecution’s insistence that the case should proceed, the defence maintained that Ezenagu urgently required medical care. After the latest court session, Nweke reiterated that the state government remained ready to continue with the prosecution of the case, while Awuka expressed optimism that the defendant would be fit to stand trial by the next adjourned date.
Ezenagu was arrested on 26 March 2026 by operatives of Agunechemba, the Anambra State Government’s security outfit, over allegations that he violated the state’s Homeland Security Law. Following his arrest, security operatives conducted a search of his residence in Nnewi as part of their investigations. At the time of his arrest, the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Community Security, Ken Emeakayi, alleged that the native doctor lured young men and women, promising them quick wealth if they bathed in a stream located behind his house. Emeakayi said such practices contravened the state’s Homeland Security Law, noting that the suspect had previously been cautioned over his activities but allegedly continued with them. After his arrest, Ezenagu was paraded by the state government and, speaking to journalists, apologised for his actions, claiming he was ignorant of the law. “I have sinned. I appeal to Governor Soludo for forgiveness and promise to turn a new leaf. I vow never to deceive young people in the state again,” he said at the time.
Ezenagu’s case is being prosecuted under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, a legal framework signed by Governor Chukwuma Soludo in January 2025. The law, which was passed by the state House of Assembly, provides a framework for community and citizens’ ownership as well as participation in sustainable security and social re‑engineering. It specifically targets ritual‑related practices and the promotion of “get‑rich‑quick” schemes. The law has been at the centre of a broader crackdown on native doctors and spiritualists accused of engaging in activities deemed harmful to public order. In March 2026, Governor Soludo himself declared that hundreds of “dangerous native doctors” were on the run in the state, and that massive shrines had been destroyed as part of an ongoing crusade for ethical and cultural rebirth.
The case has attracted significant public attention in Anambra State, where authorities have intensified legal and regulatory measures targeting alleged ritual offences and other security concerns. In recent months, the state has recorded several convictions of native doctors under the Homeland Security Law. In February 2026, the Anambra State High Court sentenced a native doctor, Igwe Lazarus Friday, to three years imprisonment for disobeying the state’s homeland laws. In another case, three native doctors – Nwangwu, Eke Hit and Onye Eze – were sentenced to 11 months imprisonment each for money rituals, “oke ite” and preparation of charms for criminals. Those convictions followed a clampdown ordered by Governor Soludo shortly after the Homeland Security Law was signed.
Despite the mounting legal pressure, the enforcement of the law has also stirred debate. Critics have questioned the extent of the state’s powers to regulate traditional practices, while supporters argue that the law is necessary to curb the influence of fraud‑related rituals and to protect vulnerable citizens from exploitation. As the legal process continues, Ezenagu remains presumed innocent under Nigerian law until proven guilty.
The adjourned hearing is now scheduled for 19 June 2026. Until then, the once‑popular native doctor, who was filmed on his knees begging for forgiveness, will remain at the Amawbia Correctional Centre – a stark symbol of Governor Soludo’s uncompromising war against native doctors who, in the words of the state government, “promote criminality disguised as spirituality”.
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