Governor Chukwuma Soludo reveals that 23 indigenes of Anambra State are currently facing the death penalty in Indonesia for drug-related offences

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has revealed the alarming statistic that 23 indigenes of the state are currently on death row in Indonesia for drug-related offences.

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Governor Soludo made this disclosure on Wednesday while addressing a group of All Progressives Congress (APC) members who had defected to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in support of his bid for re-election.

“Go to Indonesia, 23 Ndi Anambra are on death row there for drug-related offences,” the governor stated, highlighting the severity of the situation faced by some of his state’s citizens abroad.

He attributed this unfortunate development to the deceptive influence of fraudulent native doctors. These individuals, according to the governor, mislead young people into believing they can evade stringent security checks at airports when smuggling illicit drugs by using charms and supernatural concoctions.

“These native doctors will deceive you that they will prepare a charm that when you carry drugs and enter the airport, the white man’s scanner will go blind,” Governor Soludo explained.

“Tragically, these young people believe their false promises, and as a result, many of our people are now languishing in prisons across the globe, facing severe consequences for drug trafficking.”

Governor Soludo issued a stern warning, stating that anyone caught making such deceptive and dangerous claims would face arrest.

He pointed out the hypocrisy of these self-proclaimed native doctors, noting that many of them are unable to use their supposed powers to improve their own lives or the lives of their families.

The governor illustrated this point by saying, “One of the native doctors who is currently in detention has a son who works as a waiter in a hotel in Nnewi. If their claims were genuine, why didn’t he use his powers to make his own son a millionaire?”

He further added, “One of them that we arrested has sworn that he is merely a content creator, yet he has used similar deceptive tactics to convince our young people that they can become wealthy without any real work, simply by performing ‘oke Ite’ (money rituals).”

Governor Soludo expressed his concern that such false beliefs are significantly damaging the mindset and aspirations of young people within the state.

“That is why you see young people who wake up in the morning and immediately head to beer parlours to drink, foolishly hoping to become rich later in life without any productive effort,” he added, lamenting the detrimental impact of these beliefs on the state’s youth.

He clarified that the Anambra State government is not opposed to the practice of traditional religion. However, he firmly stated the administration’s determination to clamp down on individuals who promote dangerous and fraudulent practices under the guise of spirituality.

“We are not against traditional worshippers; what we are against is people who are engaged in dangerous medicines and charms that deceive and endanger our youth,” Governor Soludo asserted.

“We have always known the genuine practitioners of traditional customs; they have deeply held beliefs, and historically, they were among the most upright people in our communities.”

He contrasted these genuine practitioners with the current wave of fraudulent individuals, stating, “Those were people who believed that if you did wrong, you could face divine retribution from the gods of the land.