*Writers Soludo By; KELVIN OKPARA, Enugu Human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has express
*Writers Soludo
By; KELVIN OKPARA, Enugu
Human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has expressed concern over the alleged indiscriminate clamp down on Chief priests of ancient Communal deities and Custodians of allied Traditional Institutions in Anambra State by the Governor Charles Soludo led government.
It frowned that the state is perpetrating the alleged unlawful act without recourse to their constitutional human rights, saying “Anambra Government must adhere To principles of rule of law And Human rights.
“Intersociety, Nigeria’s leading research and investigative organization campaigning for religious tolerance and freedom of worship or belief and protection of ethnic identity, alongside other constitutionally enshrined, guaranteed and protected civil liberties since 2010, is strongly calling on the Prof Charles Soludo led Government of Anambra State to allow his administration to at all times be dictated by the principles of rule of law and human rights by observing and respecting fundamental human rights of the citizens.
“Especially by ensuring that those arrested and detained for criminal offenses (felonies or misdemeanors or simple offenses) are charged to court or granted administrative bail within the constitutionally prescribed time frames,” the group said.
The organization in what it titled, ‘Special Guide Letter To Anambra State Executive Council’ made available to newsmen on Thursday, called for protective laws on religious freedoms and safety, preservation of antiquities, Igbo ethnic identity and communally instituted institutions and their custodians in Anambra ancient communal deities and allied traditional institutions, their chief priests and others.
Our correspondent reports that the 11-page special letter specifically made a strong call for protection of 600-year-old Udo-Orie Uga Deity and its Chief Priest, “in Accordance with International freedom of religion or worship or belief-pursuant to Section 38 Of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, Article 18 Of UDHR (1948), Article 18 Of ICCPR (1976) And Article 8 Of ACHPR (1981).
Among recipients of the special letter were, Governor Charles Soludo (with a forwarding letter), State Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon Somtochukwu Udeze, Attorney General of the State, Prof. Sylvia Chika Ifemeje, Anambra Commissioner of police CP, Ikioye Orutugu, Anambra DSS Director, Victor Akeh, Commissioner For Information, Dr. Law Mefor, amongst others.
“The Government of Anambra State is further called upon to desist from reckless resort to false labeling and hearsay conclusions and entertainment of frivolous or cooked up petitions, with which thousands of defenseless citizens have been arrested across the State and detained inhumanly without proper investigations and trials,” the letter said.
It posited that processes leading to invocation of power of arrest by various conventional and unconventional security establishments across the State must be investigative and fair-hearing driven.
“The above pieces of strong advocacy advice followed received reports of indiscriminate breaches of citizens’ constitutional liberties by coercive agents holding brief for the Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo-led Government of Anambra State, brought to our advocacy attention by several victim-citizens and their relatives or close associates.
“Apart from being in possession of strong evidence indicating that several citizens of the State indiscriminately are being labeled under controversial circumstances, hunted down and clamped into indefinite detention, ranging from three months to five months or more without trial or police administrative bail.
“There are also strong pieces of evidence showing that the state security outfit (Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi) has led the way by arresting several citizens and detaining them extra jus, extralegal and extrajudicial,” it pointed out.
It noted that those being arrested are being labeled, “Okite Ritualism” or “being ritualists, kidnappers, armed robbers, internet fraudsters or herbalists providing charms to violent criminals” as a pretext or cover; during which chief priests of the anciently instituted communal deities, including custodians of ancient market deities are among those framed or false labeled, arrested and detained without trial”
“Some are being threatened with arrest and detention under the above circumstances. Totality of the above was contained in our special letter to the Anambra State Executive Council, addressed to Professor Solo Chukwulobelu as Secretary to the Government of Anambra State.
“We had in the referenced letter called on the Government of Anambra State and the Anambra State Police authorities to ensure that the threatened ancient Market Deity and her Chief Priest, Nze Chukwunenye Okoli-Udo (AKAJIUGO N’ UGA) are protected from the threatening hands of some community leaders and radical members of the Christian Faith (“Born Again Elements).
” From our records, the ancient Market Deity had survived more than seven destructive attacks in the past thirteen years and we had risen in strong defense of her protection and perseveration for not less than five times including in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
The special letter was jointly signed by InterSociety Board Chairman and lead Researcher, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Barr. Umeche Chinwe Umeche, Human Rights Lawyer/Head, Democracy and Good Governance, Chief Anayo Leonard Okoli, Media Practitioner/Member of the Board
Other signatories in the letter are, Comrade Chibueze Nwajiaku, Deputy Head, Policing and Law Enforcement Department, and Comrade Samuel Kamanyaoku, Head, Field Data Collection and Documentation Department
“Presently, those making such threats have resorted to the use of the State Security outfit (Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi) and their central and local commanders and leaders who apparently lack knowledge and traditional expertise in matters of the nobility and oracular ways of lives of the ancient Igbo Society and their benevolently bequeathed antiquities and sacred sanctuaries especially those relating to communal security, customs and norms and commerce such as “the 600-Year-Old Orie-Uga Market, her Deity and custodians or chief priests.
“Such ignorance and lack of tradition expertise have led them into generalized criminalization or false labeling and stigmatization of such sacred institutions of antiquity as “deities providing charms for ritualists, armed robbers, kidnappers and internet fraudsters or those engaging in Okeite money rituals.
“These abuses and infractions are also found to have become reckless using management, enforcement and operationalization of “the Anambra State Homeland Security Law 2025”; also found to be lacking credible research and investigative techniques and statistics.
” All the above is more so when by our research findings, “about 99% of communally instituted deities and allied institutions in Igbo Land are incapable of being publicly harmful or causing harms to their owner-communities except in situations of violation of their codes or neglect and abandonment.
“And that evil use of deities including for violent crimes in the state is not largely traced to chief priests or custodians of such communally instituted deities, but to some owners of private evil shrines including evil seers, evil herbalists, herbalists offering evil or satanic sacrifices and minutest number of falsely anointed chief priests engaging in evil spiritual intercessory and fortification who constitute insignificant number across the state.”
The special letter further urged the Government of Anambra State to desist from meddling into the internal affairs of the ancient Nri Priest-Kingship and ensure that the millennia old throne established in about 1230BC, about 143 years before the establishment of “the ancient Eze-Ora Dynasty of Aguleri” in about 1087BC and her antiquities and custodians are protected and preserved at all times.
“Including their age-long sacred processes of selecting the new Kings or Ezes of Nri Kingdom (.i.e. last born lineage).”
It equally called on the Anambra State Executive Council to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of Chief Udoka Ejimu including his discharge and acquittal; after having been detained for more than 150 days or five months at the State CID Annex or “Awkuzu Police SARS” in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“Intersociety seriously frowns at such “Police State captivity” which is nothing short of grave violation of Section 35 (4) of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution under “Fundamental Human Right to Personal Liberty” and allied others provided in the country’s Regional and International Human Rights Treaty Laws including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1976-ICCPR (signed and ratified by Nigeria in 1993) and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights of 1981-ACHPR (signed, ratified and domesticated by Nigeria in 1983).
“The above is more so when the Constitutional Section 35 (4) places 60 days detention limits for any citizen accused by the detaining authority strictly at ensuring continuation and conclusion of investigations into criminal offenses bordering on severe punishments including 20 years imprisonment to life jail or above.
“In the event such citizen is continued to be detained after two months without police administrative bail or proper court trial, the Section directs that he or she shall be released unconditionally including being discharged and acquitted.
The group added that “in other words, such citizen can no longer be detained since he or she has no case to answer under any written criminal law in Nigeria or any part thereof including Anambra State of Nigeria.
“It is recalled that Chief Udoka Ejimu (AG Udoka) is an Enugu-born multimillionaire and successful old motor spare parts dealer in Onitsha and CEO of the Udoka Golden Point and Suites (Hotel) Limited, Oba in Idemmili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“His multi-storey hotel building was bulldozed around January 27, 2025 without proper and conclusive investigations by the Prof Charles Soludo-led Government of Anambra State.
“The operation was coordinated by Governor Soludo’s Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi security outfit operationally led by Prince Kenneth Emeakai, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Community Security.
“Chief Udoka Ejimu and his Hotel facility were bulldozed, after which the State Government claimed that it “demolished the Hotel following discovery of over 30 human graves at the top decking of the Hotel”.
“The Government of Anambra State further accused the Hotel CEO of “using his hotel facilities for ritualism and kidnappings and harboring violent criminals including ritualists, kidnappers and armed robbers”.
“It was later discovered following our investigations that the said “human graves” were partitioned bricks used by the former owner of the Hotel for the hotel’s bar fishpond barbecue.
“Further discovered was the fact that the hotel facility was bought from the former owner, an indigene of Oba who later went back with his gang to the new owner, demanding that the facility must be repurchased from him as first the transaction was done on “give away price”; a demand strongly rejected by the former, leading to the new owner and his hotel facility being framed up using the Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi security outfit under Prince Ken Emeakai as operational head.
“Our further investigation also revealed that Chief Udoka Ejimu was arrested since January 25, 2025 by the dreaded operatives of the Awkuzu Police SARS at the alleged instance of Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State and has been held without trial for more than 150 days, three months more than constitutionally permitted in the case of arrested and detained alleged felon.
” Having spoken with him severally from his detention, we spoke with Chief Udoka Ejimu again in the morning of Saturday, June 14, 2025 and he restated his earlier stance regarding the facts of the matter as follows: The hotel has never been involved in kidnapping.
” Those things they are calling graves were partitioned fishponds. I bought the property from the original owner, who constructed it as it is, and the top floor was converted into a fishpond before I acquired it.
“The fishpond was designed to allow easy oversight of the fish and for them to be used at the hotel’s bar for barbecue. Since I purchased the property, some interested parties have been upset and wanted to revoke its sale.
“When that failed, they started manufacturing troubles for me. I’m a legitimate businessman who deals in motor parts, land and property. You can enquire from the traders in the community.
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