The Enugu State Government, in a bill titled Maintenance of Internal Security, Vigilance and Order, seeks to register and regulate the activities of native doctors and the like in a bid to contain criminal activities and illegal acts in the state.
This is contained in an Executive bill the State government sent to Enugu State House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.
The bill, which centers on sanitizing the forests where criminals use as their hideouts, also bans activities such as money rituals (okite), criminal bulletproof charms (Odeshi), while native doctors, female Spiritualists (ezenwanyi), herbalists, and others are expected to register and be regulated by the state.
Section 3 subsection 1 of the bill titled ‘Maintenance of Internal Security, Vigilance and Order’ states, “Every person, who engages in the practice or rendering of spiritual services within the state, whether as a native doctor, herbalist, spiritualist, chief priest, diviner, seer, or by any other traditional or spiritual title or designation, shall be registered with the ministry, department or agency (MDA) of the state as may be designated by the Governor for that purpose.”
Persons who defy this order and practice without registration will attract a fine of not less than N1 million and not more than N5 million or two years ‘ imprisonment or both.
Section 15 states, “Any person who, under the guise of spiritual or traditional practice (including but not limited to the practices commonly referred to as ‘okite’, ‘ezenwanyi’, or any other mystical or ritual name/form) administers or causes to be administered any charm, substance, or object on or for another person, for the purpose of: (a) invincibility and other forms of protection to facilitate the commission of any criminal offence; or (b) acquiring wealth or benefits by supernatural means outside any lawful means of livelihood, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of six (6) years or to a fine of not less than five million naira (N5,000,000), or both.
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