Anambra native doctor admits to aiding kidnapping and money rituals; shrine to be demolished as court mandates youth reorientation role

An Anambra State High Court has sentenced popular native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, widely known as Akwa Okuko, to two years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to charges bordering on aiding kidnapping and money ritual activities.

Justice Jude Obiorah, who delivered the judgment, also imposed a ₦60 million fine on the convict. However, the fine was later waived after the court considered Nwangwu’s expression of remorse.

Having already spent 13 months in detention, the court ruled that Akwa Okuko would serve the remaining 11 months of his sentence at the Awka Correctional Centre.

Beyond the jail term, the court ordered the demolition of his shrine in Oba, Anambra State, and directed Nwangwu to publicly renounce all occult practices. He is also required to record a video message warning young people against pursuing wealth through supernatural or criminal means.

In a further corrective measure, the court appointed him as a youth reorientation ambassador, tasking him with discouraging involvement in ritualism and related crimes.