By Sarah Ezeh
A High Court in Anambra State has sentenced a native doctor, Ekene Igboekweze, popularly known as “Eke Hit,” to six years’ imprisonment on each of two counts.
Justice Jude Obiorah, in a judgment delivered on Friday, found Igboekweze guilty on counts one and two, after holding that the prosecution proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge ordered the sentences to run concurrently, without an option of fine, and directed that the period Igboekweze had already spent in detention be taken into consideration.
The court, however, resolved count three in favour of the defendant.
Igboekweze, from Umuofor Village, Okija, in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State, gained widespread attention on social media through videos promoting charms purportedly associated with wealth and other benefits.
He was arrested in February 2025 by personnel of the Agunechemba security outfit alongside two other native doctors following the enactment of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025.
The law prohibits native doctors from claiming to make people wealthy through “oke ite” and other rituals, as well as from preparing charms for criminals.
Igboekweze and the other defendants werey arraigned before Justice Obiorah on April 4, 2025, on charges including conspiracy, kidnapping, preparation of protective charms for criminals and money rituals.
During his defence, Igboekweze told the court that he was a registered herbalist and a member of the Odinani Okija Traditional Association.
He maintained that he used herbs and roots in his practice and said the videos that went viral on social media were recorded before the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025 came into force.
Before sentencing, Igboekweze pleaded for leniency, asking the court to consider his family circumstances, including his newborn triplets, whom he said he had not yet seen.
His wife, Elizabeth, and half-brother, Chief Mike Igboekweze, also appealed for leniency, describing him as well-behaved and kind to people around him. They told the court that he was his mother’s only son in a polygamous family.
Speaking to journalists after the proceedings, Igboekweze’s counsel, Chief Emmanuel Egbunonu, said the court had shown consideration by waiving the ₦40 million fine attached to the two counts on which he was convicted.
Counsel to the Anambra State Ministry of Justice, Mr. Fabian Okeke, said the judgment would help protect society from practices that, in his view, could undermine creativity and discourage people from engaging in legitimate and productive ventures.
Leave a Reply