Court Jails Native Doctor 6 Years, Slams N20m Fine for Fraudulent Spiritual Claims

Onyebuchi Okocha

Court Jails Native Doctor 6 Years, Slams N20m Fine for Fraudulent Spiritual Claims

An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has sentenced a self-acclaimed native doctor and prophet, Onyebuchi Okocha, widely known as “Onyeze Jesus,” to six years’ imprisonment and imposed a ₦20 million fine for fraudulent spiritual practices carried out in violation of the state’s Homeland Security Law. Justice Jude Obiora delivered the judgment on Friday, convicting Okocha on one of three counts filed against him by the Anambra State Government. The self-styled spiritualist had been in detention for about one year and six months following his arrest in February 2025 as part of a statewide crackdown on native doctors and spiritualists accused of promoting ritual practices and criminal activities.

Okocha was initially charged with three offences: promoting wealth through supernatural means on social media, engaging in “Oke-Ite” spiritual rituals, and operating alleged money-doubling schemes. He was prosecuted under Section 18 of the Anambra Homeland Security Law 2025, which prohibits individuals from deceiving members of the public with claims of supernatural wealth creation or preparing charms intended to aid criminal activities. Justice Obiora ruled that Okocha admitted being the person featured in viral social media videos and acknowledged ownership of the social media accounts used to promote claims that wealth could be acquired through supernatural means rather than through legitimate work. The judge held that the defendant’s messages encouraged the belief that wealth could be acquired through unlawful spiritual practices, an offence prohibited under the law. However, the court discharged and acquitted Okocha on the remaining two counts, ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to sustain allegations relating to ritual killings and money-doubling practices. According to the judge, no witness testified to benefiting from the alleged practices, and no evidence was presented to prove the claims beyond a reasonable doubt. Delivering judgment, Justice Obiora stated: “Individuals who claim supernatural powers capable of making people wealthy through prohibited practices or preparing charms outlawed by the Anambra Homeland Security Law are liable to imprisonment and financial penalties”. The court sentenced Okocha to six years in prison with an additional fine of N20 million—the maximum punishment prescribed under the law.

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Before sentencing, an emotional Okocha broke down in tears and briefly slumped in the dock while pleading for mercy. He told the court he had already spent about one year and six months in custody following his arrest and appealed for leniency, describing the case as his first criminal trial. “My Lord, please temper justice with mercy because this is my first offence and the first time I am having a court case. Since February last year that I was arrested and have been in custody, I do not know the whereabouts of my wife and my twin children who depend on me as the breadwinner,” he said. He further told the court that three widows who depended on him had died while he was in custody because there was no one to care for them. Despite his emotional plea, Justice Obiora held that the sentence would serve as a deterrent to others promoting unlawful means of wealth acquisition.

Confirming the judgment on Friday, Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, described the ruling as a significant step in the government’s efforts to curb criminality linked to deceptive spiritual activities. According to Mefor, Okocha was prosecuted alongside other prominent spiritualists, including Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki, and Ekene Igbonekwu, also called Eke Hit, following a statewide crackdown on alleged ritual practices and fraudulent spiritual claims. While Akwa Okuko accepted a plea bargain and received a concurrent two-year prison sentence earlier this year, Onyeze Jesus opted to stand trial and was handed the maximum punishment prescribed under the law. Meanwhile, proceedings involving another suspect, Eke-Hit, were adjourned to September 26, after both the prosecution and defence adopted their written addresses. Mefor reaffirmed the Soludo administration’s commitment to enforcing the Homeland Security Law, warning that fake pastors, self-proclaimed prophets and rogue native doctors who violate the law would continue to face prosecution. He said: “We believe that the sentencing and the fine as prescribed by the law and the number of years to be spent in custodial facility is quite in order and it will serve as a deterrent to others”.

The court also confirmed that seven pastors earlier arraigned under the same law remain in custody pending the determination of their cases. These pastors were arrested for allegedly orchestrating ‘arrangee’ miracles—staged divine interventions designed to defraud people by hiring paid actors to perform fake miracles. “The arraigned pastors are in detention as directed by the Court and they will continue to have their days in custody until they are found guilty or discharged by the Court,” Mefor said.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo has consistently maintained that although his administration respects traditional religion and lawful cultural practices, it will not tolerate individuals who exploit spiritual beliefs to promote fraud, kidnapping, internet fraud, ritual killings or other forms of crime. During a media briefing earlier this year, Soludo said: “We have made this very clear over and over again that we understand traditional religion… We also understand the difference between the traditional religion and criminal idolatry. We support freedom of worship, freedom of religion. Anybody can worship the way you want, provided you realise that your own right ends where the other person’s own starts. Where your own practices and preaching now breed criminality, that is where we come in”. The governor noted that some native doctors were involved in preparing charms for kidnappers and armed robbers, and that it is the duty of the state government to stop diabolical rituals that have given rise to evil practices such as ‘Ego Mbute,’ ‘Oke-Ite,’ ‘Yahoo Plus,’ and idolatry.

Following the judgment, Okocha was remanded at the Awka Correctional Centre to begin serving his prison term. His lawyer, Chief Bathlome Ezedinobi, said the defence would obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment before deciding on the next legal step. “According to the Court he was given maximum sentence and we shall apply for the Certified True Copy of the judgment and we look into it and then know the appropriate steps to take. According to the law, the sentence can run concurrently and he was sentenced in count 1 and discharged in count 2 and 3,” he said.