Crime
Fake Native Doctor Onyeze Jesus Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison, Seven Fake Pastors Remain in Custody
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has sentenced self-acclaimed native doctor, Onyebuchi Okocha, popularly known as Onyeze Jesus, to six years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₦20 million after finding him guilty under the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
The judgment comes as seven pastors previously arraigned on related allegations remain in custody pending the determination of their cases by the court.
Another suspected native doctor, popularly known as Eke Hit, also appeared before the court, where his case was adjourned to September 26 after both the prosecution and defence adopted their final written addresses.
Onyeze Jesus had spent about one year and six months in detention after being charged with promoting wealth through supernatural means, contrary to Section 18 of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
He faced a three-count charge bordering on allegedly promoting money-making through supernatural means on his social media platforms, operating the controversial Oke-Ite practice, and claims of money doubling.
In his judgment, Justice Jude Obiora discharged the defendant on counts two and three, holding that the prosecution failed to establish allegations relating to ritual practices and money doubling. However, the court convicted him on the first count, finding that he openly propagated the idea of acquiring wealth through supernatural means rather than lawful enterprise.
The judge noted that the defendant admitted being the individual featured in the viral videos and acknowledged ownership of the social media accounts used to disseminate the messages.
Justice Obiora held that there was no credible evidence or testimony proving that Onyeze Jesus engaged in ritual killings or successfully doubled money for anyone, leading to his acquittal on those counts.
Before sentencing, Onyeze Jesus broke down in tears, kneeling in the witness box as he pleaded with the court for leniency.
“My Lord, temper justice with mercy. This is my first offence and the first time I have appeared before a court,” he said.
He added that since his arrest in February last year, he had lost contact with his wife and twin children, who depended on him, and claimed that three widows he had been supporting died while he remained in custody.
Reacting to the judgment, defence counsel, Sir Bath Okafor Ezedinobi, described the sentence as the maximum prescribed by law and said the legal team would obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment before deciding on its next line of action.
“We will study the judgment carefully and determine the appropriate legal steps. The court convicted him on count one and discharged him on counts two and three,” he said.
Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor, welcomed the judgment, describing it as a strong affirmation of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
He said the sentence would serve as a deterrent to those promoting practices that encourage the false belief that wealth can be acquired without legitimate work.
“The law is now fully operational, and today’s judgment demonstrates that it will be enforced. Anyone involved in practices prohibited under Section 18 of the law, including Oke-Ite, will face the full weight of the law,” Mefor said.
He stressed that the Soludo administration was neither against traditional religion nor Christianity but against individuals who exploit religion or traditional practices to deceive people, especially young Nigerians, with false promises of instant wealth.
Mefor also confirmed that the seven pastors earlier arraigned under the same law remain in custody in accordance with the court’s directive.
“The pastors are still in detention and will remain so until their cases are concluded and the court reaches its verdict,” he said.
The command’s spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, disclosed t] is while giving an update on the incident in a telephone interview on Thursday, as he noted that the baby had been recovered.
“I can confirm to you that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of a newborn baby in Gboko on Tuesday.
“Some of the suspects were earlier transferred to the state headquarters in Makurdi while other suspects are in police custody at Gboko division right now,” the PPRO said.
The baby, according to sources, was allegedly stolen from his mother in the hospital a few hours after he was delivered on Tuesday.
The incident reportedly attracted family members, sympathisers and other concerned persons to the hospital, creating tension within and around the facility. It was also gathered that security operatives were subsequently deployed to the healthcare centre to prevent the breakdown of law and order.
An eyewitness who craved anonymity told journalists on Wednesday that the alleged thief had been following the baby’s mother disguised as a nurse working in the hospital. According to the eyewitness, the baby was said not to be responding at the time he was born, which prompted the nurse to move the mother and the baby to a ward for further care.
The eyewitness alleged that shortly after they were moved to the ward, a woman, who camouflaged as a nurse, approached the mother and asked to examine the baby again.
It was later that they discovered that the newborn baby was missing.
“Immediately after the baby was born, the infant did not cry as expected. The nurse on duty reportedly intervened, and the newborn eventually responded normally.
“Thereafter, both the mother and the baby were taken to a ward. Not long after, an alleged child trafficker approached the mother of the newborn under the pretence of being one of the nurses.
“The suspect claimed they wanted to check the baby once again. The trafficker then took the baby from the mother and headed toward the labour room.
“Sensing something amiss, the mother-in-law who had been with her daughter-in-law followed and stood at the labour room’s entrance, but she was instructed to step back, with assurances that everything would be fine; so she complied. Shortly afterwards, the strange woman disappeared with the newborn baby,” the witness stated.
It was gathered that while searching for the baby, the nurses on duty reportedly denied taking the baby from the ward and also said the woman who allegedly presented herself as a nurse was not a member of their team.
The kidnappers of Jezco chief, Chief Sir Joseph Ezeokafor, have reportedly demanded N1.5 billion ransom for his release, after initially asking the family to pay N700 million.
A close source within the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed this, saying the kidnappers had established contact with the family following Ezeokafor’s abduction.
According to the source, the kidnappers initially demanded N700 million, a figure which the victim’s family reportedly accepted as part of efforts to secure their father’s release.
The kidnappers, however, were said to have subsequently raised their demand to N1.5 billion.
The source said the family had remained willing to negotiate with the abductors but that the kidnappers had since stopped further engagement with the family.
It was gathered that the development had left the family in a difficult position as efforts to reopen communication with the abductors had reportedly not yielded results.
The latest revelation also provides fresh details on the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the Jezco chief, which had attracted considerable concern among his associates and members of the community.
The Anambra State Police Command has, however, yet to make any official statement on the reported ransom demand. GeographicReference
When contacted, the Command’s spokesperson , Tochukwu Ikenga said he was in a meeting and asked our correspondent to send him a text message detailing the inquiry.
Our correspondent subsequently sent a text message to the police spokesperson seeking confirmation of the abduction .
As of press time, however, the message, sent about a week ago, had not received a response.
The family source did not disclose the circumstances under which the kidnappers initially made contact or why communication between both parties subsequently broke down.
The Kwara State Police Command has arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping gang, identified as Sanda Aliyu, over an alleged plan to purchase an AK-47 rifle for N1.6m in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.Aliyu was arrested by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Section on August 3, 2026, following actionable intelligence that he was negotiating with one Aliyu Mohammed, who is currently at large, for the procurement of the firearm.The police said detectives immediately commenced an operation based on the intelligence and apprehended Aliyu before the weapon could be delivered.According to a statement issued on Thursday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the suspect admitted during interrogation that he was involved in the attempted arms transaction.“The suspect voluntarily admitted his involvement in the transaction and disclosed that N1.6 million had already been paid towards the purchase of the rifle.“He further revealed that the purpose of acquiring the firearm was to enable him rise to the position of a ‘Boss’ within his current kidnapping gang, before ultimately breaking away to establish and lead his own criminal gang,” the PPRO said.She added that investigators had commenced further verification of the transaction to establish the identities of other individuals connected with the attempted purchase and determine the extent of the criminal network.
“The ongoing investigation is expected to provide further leads into the circumstances surrounding the attempted acquisition, identify other persons connected with the illicit arms transaction, establish the full extent of the network, and unravel the broader criminal activities associated with the gang,” Ejire-Adeyemi noted.The development comes amid heightened security operations by security agencies in parts of Kwara State following a series of kidnappings and other violent crimes recorded in some communities.Reacting to the arrest, the Commissioner of Police in Kwara State, Ojo Adekimi, assured residents that the command would sustain its intelligence-led operations against criminal elements across the state.Adekimi, while acknowledging the strategic policing direction of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, said the command would continue to deploy its available lawful intelligence and operational resources to protect residents.“There will be no respite in the ongoing offensive against criminal elements,” the CP said.He added that the command would sustain its operations until communities across the state were sufficiently secured and residents could go about their activities without fear.The police said the suspect remains in custody as investigation continues, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend Mohammed and identify other persons allegedly connected with the attempted arms transaction.
Headline
A yet-to-be-identified 100-level student of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Rivers State, was reportedly shot on campus on Wednesday by suspected cultists.
The incident occurred barely 48 hours after suspected members of rival cult groups engaged in a shooting spree on the campus, heightening tension among students and staff.
The Monday clash was reportedly between suspected members of the Vikings and Ku Klux Klan cult groups, who were said to be engaged in a supremacy battle.
Details of Wednesday’s shooting remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report. However, a source close to the victim told newsmen that the student was rushed to a hospital, where efforts were being made to remove bullet pellets lodged in his body.
The source, who declined to disclose the identity of the victim or his own name due to the sensitive nature of the incident, said the student’s close friends were contributing money to fund the surgery.
It could not, however, be independently verified whether the victim was a member of any cult group.
A viral video circulating online showed the injured student lying on a hospital bed before being carried into the university campus by his coursemates.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Blessing Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, had on Monday confirmed that the earlier clash involved two suspected cult groups and said the command was investigating the incident.
When contacted on Wednesday’s shooting, Agabe said she had seen the viral video but would obtain details from the Divisional Police Officer in the area and get back to our correspondent.
She had yet to do so as of Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, the university management has suspended all remaining activities for the Students’ Union Government Week and directed students to return to their classrooms on Thursday, August 13, 2026, for normal academic activities.
The directive was contained in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Wednesday by the university’s Registrar, Dr Chinonye Ajie, and obtained by our correspondent.
Management warned that students who failed to attend lectures would be held responsible for their actions, while urging them to desist from activities capable of undermining their academic pursuits or threatening peace and security on campus.
The statement read:
“This is to inform the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Community that all remaining activities for the Students’ Union Government Week have been suspended by the University Management with immediate effect.
“Students are therefore advised to return to classes on Thursday, August 13th, 2026, for normal academic activities.
“Any student who fails to attend lectures will be held responsible for their actions.
“Students are also strongly warned to desist from any action that is inimical to their academic pursuit and the peace of the University.”
Operatives of the Kwara State Police Command have arrested a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate while allegedly attempting to withdraw ransom money from a Point-of-Sale terminal in Ilorin East Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect, identified as Muhamodu Sanni, was arrested around the Obudu/Woru axis following an intelligence-led investigation into the abduction of three persons in Obudu Village on July 28, 2026.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday through the command’s X handle.
According to the statement, the police expanded their investigation beyond the scene of the abduction to trace the communication, logistics and financial channels allegedly used by the kidnappers.
The investigation reportedly led detectives to Sanni, who was intercepted at a POS outlet while allegedly attempting to cash out proceeds linked to the abduction.
The statement read in part, “The sustained offensive of the Kwara State Police Command against kidnapping has recorded another significant breakthrough, as intelligence-led operations successfully penetrated the support structure of a kidnapping syndicate operating around Obudu/Woru axis of Ilorin East Local Government Area, culminating in the arrest of Muhamodu Sanni while allegedly attempting to cash out ransom proceeds linked to a recent abduction.”
The police said Sanni, during interrogation, allegedly provided useful information about the ransom collection process and identified two other suspected members of the syndicate as Aminu and Umar.
The PPRO said the information obtained from the suspect had strengthened the command’s understanding of the syndicate and provided fresh leads for further investigation.
She quoted the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, as assuring residents that the command would sustain intelligence-driven operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state.
Adekimi also urged residents to provide timely and credible information to the police to support efforts to prevent and combat criminal activities in the state.
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