By Sarah Ezeh
An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has sentenced self-acclaimed native doctor and prophet, Onyebuchi Okocha, popularly known as Onyeze Jesus, to six years’ imprisonment and imposed a N20 million fine for publicly promoting the acquisition of wealth through supernatural means.
In a landmark judgement under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, Justice Jude Obiora delivered the judgment on Friday, convicting Okocha on one of the three counts preferred against him following his arrest in February 2025.
The court found him guilty of publicly propagating claims that people could become wealthy through unlawful supernatural practices rather than legitimate labour, holding that such conduct contravenes the provisions of the Anambra Homeland Security Law.
Justice Obiora ruled that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that Okocha was responsible for the viral videos circulated on social media in which he claimed to possess supernatural powers capable of making people rich.
The judge noted that the defendant admitted being the individual featured in the videos, acknowledged ownership of the social media accounts used to disseminate the messages, and confirmed making the statements contained in the recordings.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted him on the remaining two counts bordering on allegations of money-doubling schemes, preparation of charms known as Oke-Ite for wealth acquisition, and other related offences after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Obiora held that there was no credible evidence linking the defendant to ritual killings or proving that anyone benefited from the alleged money-doubling or spiritual practices.
He further noted that the investigation leading to Okocha’s prosecution was conducted in accordance with the law, with both the Agunechemba security outfit and the Nigeria Police Force participating in the process.
The judge ordered that the six-year jail term should take effect from February 26, 2025, the date Okocha was first remanded in custody, meaning the period already spent in detention would count as part of the sentence.
Explaining the rationale behind the punishment, Justice Obiora said the custodial sentence and fine were intended to serve as a deterrent to others who mislead the public, particularly young people, into believing that wealth can be acquired through supernatural means instead of honest labour.
“I have the option of sentencing you to six years’ imprisonment or imposing a fine of N20 million or both. I am imposing both to serve as a deterrent to others,” the judge ruled.
Before the sentence was pronounced, Okocha broke down in tears and pleaded with the court for mercy, describing himself as a first-time offender and the sole breadwinner of his family.
“My Lord, please temper justice with mercy because this is my first offence and the first time I am appearing before a court. Since I was arrested in February last year and have remained in custody, I do not know the whereabouts of my wife and my twin children who depend on me.
“I have also lost three widows who depended on me, while many students under my scholarship and other beneficiaries of my support have been left without assistance,” he pleaded.
His counsel, Bartholomew Ezedinobi, also urged the court to exercise leniency, arguing that his client did not fully appreciate the legal implications of publicly promoting supernatural wealth acquisition and had learnt his lesson after spending about one year and six months in custody.
Reacting after the judgment, Ezedinobi said the defence would obtain the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment before deciding on its next legal step.
“According to the court, he received the maximum sentence on Count One, while he was discharged and acquitted on Counts Two and Three. We shall study the judgment carefully before taking the appropriate legal action,” he said.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, described the judgment as a significant affirmation of the Anambra Homeland Security Law and a clear warning to individuals who exploit religion or traditional practices to deceive members of the public.
He said the state government was not opposed to genuine religious or traditional worship but would continue to clamp down on criminal activities carried out under their guise.
“We believe the sentence and the fine imposed by the court are appropriate and will serve as a deterrent to others. The government is not against religion or traditional worship; it is against criminality and the exploitation of innocent people through fraudulent spiritual practices,” Mefor said.
He added that the seven suspected fake pastors earlier arraigned under the same law remain in custody pending the conclusion of their trials, while the case involving another suspected fake native doctor, popularly known as Eke-Hit, has been adjourned until September 26 after both parties adopted their final written addresses before the court.
Leave a Reply