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Anambra insecurity: We’re now getting to the roots, uprooting pastors, juju men leading our youths to crime — Soludo
Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has said that his administration’s new approach to tackling insecurity in the state was getting to the root of the problem that had engulfed the state over the years, insisting that doing so would give the people fresh breath.
Speaking when he received a letter of award for good governance from the management of Vanguard Media Limited at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia, Soludo said he had no choice but to give it his all because God in his infinite wisdom decided that he should mount the saddle at this period in the history of Anambra State.
Recalling that seven local government areas in Anambra South senatorial zone were controlled by non state actors at the time he became governor almost three years ago, he expressed delight that although the security challenges have not been completely solved, the new impetus by his administration would see the entire state return to normal in the shortest possible time.
Recently, following the passage of the state’s Homeland Security Law by the state House of Assembly, the state government established the ‘Udo ga achi’ security outfit, with Agunechemba as its operational arm. Since then, following massive empowerment with operational vehicles and logistics, the operatives of Agunechemba have permeated the entire state, arresting suspected fake native doctors and pastors allegedly encouraging the youths to go into crime in their quest to get rich quick.
Speaking after receiving the letter of the Vanguard Award, Soludo said: “We have decided to take security issue at the foundation level. It’s not just about chasing the criminals, it’s about getting to the roots. There are practices in the system that have continued to brew them and so, we decided to get to the root and start uprooting them. I am quite fascinated about how our efforts are being received.
“Many of our women are lamenting that they trained their children, but they have basically lost them. They are now saying that they are beginning to have some hope and I know that this crusade is not a push button. In the coming decades, it will be appreciated that this generation imbibed certain attitudes.”
He added: “As Igbos, our values are rooted in enterprise, hard work and integrity. Unfortunately, there is this new religion that promises people a crown with no cross and that all you need is to bring money to the pastor and God will be a money doubler, but God wouldn’t double for him. He needs your own money for God to bless you. They tell our people that when they are sick, they should come and they will pray for them. They bring anointing oil which you pay for and handkerchief, but when they are sick, they fly abroad.
“You are going to bring people to Okite ( a prosperous medicine box) and they become rich, but he hasn’t made himself rich. He depends on the thanksgiving you make for him to feed. His brothers and relations are all retched, but he is deceiving gullible people that they can become rich through him.
“I understand that one of the children of one of the native doctors we arrested is working in one hotel in Imo state as a waiter. And this is the man making Okite for people to become rich, but he can’t make his child rich. The unfortunate thing is that because of their actions, thousands of our youths are languishing in jail all over the world
“They made Okite for these youths with the promise that they will pass security checkpoints with hard drugs and the machines won’t detect them and when they pass, the machines will catch them and they are in jail all over the world. And when they can’t get that, they go into yahoo yahoo. And because that one had failed, they went into the bush and became kidnappers to make easy money because they were promised that they don’t need to sweat.”
Soludo said that security operatives are gradually coming for these pastors who promote and encourage them.
“If they have the powers they claim to have, let them make all Anambra people millionaires. In that case, all of us will be sleeping and we wake up in the morning and receive $1 million alerts. Some of them are either in detention, or have run away and as we carry the message, I am encouraged by the way the public is receiving them.
“We can’t go on this way. We have kept quiet for too long. Our streams are being polluted by the Ezenwanay’s (fake mermaids) and people go there and put all sorts of things into the water and other people are a few poles away fetching the same water for drinking.
It’s not our culture “Some people say it is our culture, but it is not.
Traditional religion is different from this criminal enterprise that had emerged and people are confusing the two. The traditional religion is an honourable religion which has sanctions if one fails to obey the rules. So we are determined to cleanse our place.
“We are sitting in our own little corner here trying to do quite a little for our people because God in his infinite wisdom decided that we should come here.
“I believe that on the judgment day, each of us will be asked, how did you deploy His blessings to leave the place better than you met it? I am always a die -hard optimist and that is why I applied for this job.
You haven’t seen anything yet as we are only laying the foundation and the world will soon see”, the governor stated.
Soludo also said that despite the security challenges, his administration has recorded numerous achievements.
Hear him: “In all facets of life, whether in human capital development, health, education, dealing with the vulnerable groups and empowering our youths, we’re linking with the future. In the area of environment, which is Anambra’s number one existential threat, in the area governance, ICT, technology where we’re laying 600km of fibre optic dots, that will have access to wifi; we are laying the foundation for technological revolution and the aim is to have Anambra as a digital destination.
“We hope to be the destination of the African digital hub and to build it, people must have access to the internet and to achieve that, they must have access to cheap wifi.
“Our mantra here is doing more with less. I can modestly say that what we achieved in three years can be compared to what was achieved in eight years, considering that resources at our disposal are far lower than what they had for one year.
“In recognition of these efforts, we won $500,000 in cash prize as the best primary health care performer in the South East and $700,000 at the national challenge, making it a total of $1.2 million.
“In the 326 electoral wards, we have Primary Healthcare facilities and medical personnel for the first time. We employed over 1000 medical doctors, pharmacists and other medical personnel to end the era of not having doctors and other medical personnel in our health facilities.
“We have built five brand new General Hospitals which have been furnished with the state -of -the -art equipment. It was unbelievable that a whole Onitsha South local government never had a General Hospital, but there is one now standing at Fegge, fully furnished and equipped, waiting for commissioning.
“Okpoko, with over 500,000 people living there, never had a public health facility. Now a General Hospital is standing there and people are receiving treatment. We are building the biggest trauma centre in the country in our tertiary health institution, Amaku Teaching Hospital.
Free antenatal scheme records 82,882 deliveries
“Our free antenatal/free delivery service for pregnant women is achieving the desired result. As at December 2024, we had a total number of 82,882 deliveries, with over 400 cesarean operations free of charge and near zero mortality. In all public hospitals in Anambra, it is said that several people come from outside the state and only 52% are from Anambra. One of the states recorded 28%. So what people do is that when they become pregnant, they look for a brother or sister in Anambra to register to be able to enjoy free antenatal which also goes with free drugs. We are building on people’s lives.
Our free education is truly free
“Our free education in all public institutions is truly free from nursery, through primary, through J.S.S. and now through SSS. Just send your child to school and leave the rest to us. But there can’t be good schools without teachers and that is why in our first nine months as a government, we recruited 5000 teachers competitively. In the exercise, we did not care where the teachers came from because the interest of the Anambra child is to be taught by the best teacher, not by the incompetent one. That is who we are and that is what we are. We talk about merit and we need to show by example.
“ As a result of this, enrolment in public institutions has risen by twenty something percent. The result is that in 2023 Anambra had the lowest out of school children at 2.9% and I understand that the latest figures is below 0.5%, when the national average is about 30%.
Therefore, Anambra leads in education, health, human capital. We have been supporting SMSEs, we came up with a proposition of one youth, two skills programme which has been adopted by the federal government.
5,000 graduate from Igbo apprenticeship scheme at UNIZIK Business School
Here, we are building on the Igbo apprenticeship system which we are running with the UNIZIK Business School. We have empowered 5000 people that graduated from the programme and a few weeks ago, 1000 of those empowered who now describe themselves as young millionaires, have themselves offered to train 1000 others free of charge.
We are hoping that in future, these people will all become millionaires.
“In my manifesto, I deliberately promised to create 1000 millionaires a year and people thought it was a mere campaign gimmick. Another 8300 will be empowered this year and they came from about 182,000 that applied. We are doing all these with the template in governance that recognizes that the society is a simple one. Every penny that passes through our fingers, we must show where it went to and our thesis is that if we maximally deploy every penny we have, we will have a glorious future.
“For me, it is like a case study. If this could be done with this little, you can imagine what could have been achieved if I have equivalent of what was spent in one year in the past. If I have in two years what was spent in one year and another three years I get another one, our Dubai-Taiwan will not be long to achieve.
“Currently, we have over 750 kilometers of roads ongoing with slightly over 400 kilometers completed at a quality that Anambra had never seen in its history. We transformed Okpoko, the biggest slum in the South East, where we completed over 18 km of roads with street light, pipe borne water and a General Hospital. (Saturday Vanguard)
The Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Adeola Ajayi, has ordered the immediate release of a man wrongfully linked to Boko Haram terrorists.
The setting free followed a DSS investigation review panel that cleared Nura Idris of allegations of collaboration with Boko Haram terrorists.
Aside from giving Idris N3 million monetary compensation to meet his immediate needs, the DSS DG promised to help the wrongfully detained herder in his business, a practice common with the DG.
According to a security source, the farmer and animal rearer from Soba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was arrested by a sister security agency in Suleja, Niger State, in June 2024, for alleged links with terrorists, and was thereafter transferred to DSS custody.
Following a thorough review of Nura’s case, the DSS investigation panel found no basis for the charges against him, prompting the DGSS to order his immediate release and payment of compensation.
Receiving the compensation, Nura thanked the DGSS for what he described as a kind gesture, saying the money would help him restart his life.
“I thank the DGSS for his kindness. I was well treated in DSS custody and I pray that Allah rewards the DGSS immensely,” the source quoted Nura as saying.
His father, Yusuf Idris, who received Nura upon his release, also expressed appreciation to the DGSS for his compassion and generosity, and assured that the compensation would be put to good use.
“When such cases are recorded, the DSS would usually follow up with the detainee, provide psychological and medical support, after which the Agency would further set up any business of the victim’s choice”, another source disclosed.
The release is part of an internal review exercise which the DSS began last year. The exercise is aimed at reassessing prolonged inherited cases to ensure that erroneously detained individuals do not remain in detention.
“The setting free and compensations across multiple cases underscores the DSS’s growing reputation for institutional integrity and humanness,” added the source.
“The Service under the current DG, has continued to show that safeguarding national security and citizens must go hand in hand with upholding the rights and dignity of citizens,” declared the source.
“Recall the case of Sunday Ifedi and his wife, Calista who were arrested on 8th November 2021 and detained in Wawa facility, three years before the appointment of the current DG in August 2024,” added the source. Sunday was released on 16th December, 2025, after the review of detainees ordered by the DG cleared him of ties with the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the DG awarded him N10 million as compensation.
“Importantly, plans are underway by the DSS to rebuild a restaurant in memory of Ifedi’s wife, Calista, who died while in custody in a detention facility in Wawa. The initiative is to compensate Sunday for the allegations that his late wife operated a restaurant being patronized by IPOB, for which they were arrested. This brings to bear, over thirty cases that have since been reviewed with over N300m paid as compensation,” the source disclosed.
It would also be recalled that, barely one month after ordering the release and payment of N10 million compensation of one Abuja-based business woman, Mrs. Chineze Ozoadibe, in October 2025, the DSS boss ordered the release of one Kenneth Okechukwu Nwafor, arrested in July 2022, for his alleged involvement in the activities of the proscribed IPOB. Five other detainees wrongfully linked to IPOB were by the same directive of the DG, released and each given an initial N2 million cash compensation. Last month, the DSS also released a Yobe State resident, Ya’u Mohammed, after investigations confirmed that he had no connection to terrorism.
Following his release, the Service provided initial financial support worth N2 million to assist his reintegration and restoration of his livelihood.
“There are many more instances where DSS investigations have established innocence and have been followed by efforts to facilitate reintegration,” stated the source, adding, “these are the kind of measures the DSS is using to build public trust.”
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, have praised the United States President, Donald Trump, for taking recent military actions against terrorism and called for more of such action to stem the tide of the unrelenting terror attacks by extremists in Nigeria.
They spoke to a packed audience drawn from a cross section of activists of all races and cadres from across the United States.
The event was in Washington DC during an award night for President Trump, two Congressmen: Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. Riley Moore, both of whom have tabled a bill seeking to end terrorism in Nigeria by punishing the sponsors, and other activists who have championed the cause of religious freedom in Nigeria.
The RCCG leader also spoke on the criticism that he had maintained a stoic silence while extremists carried out the killing and kidnap of Christians and other vulnerable communities across Nigeria, noting that as an elder religious leader, he embarked on a “spiritual warfare” rather than scream to escalate tension with concomitant reactions.
Bishop David Oyedepo delivered his keynote address at the gala night represented by 4 persons- Pastor Deji Akin Abiri, Pastor Dayo Ojo, Apostle Jacob Sharpe and Pastor Seyi Adeyeri
According to him it was not a surprise when President Trump intervened, having followed events and warned of dire consequences for the perpetrators of the violence.
The grand event, tagged: “Faith Heroes Award Gala.” was organised by the Save Nigeria Group, USA with the participation of the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition at the Hilton Garden Inn, Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.Nigerian lifestyle content
Adeboye, who rued that “terrorism is now at my doorstep,” appealed for a global coalition, led by the United States and its Western allies, to help defeat terrorism in Nigeria, while cautioning that the violence that has consumed communities across the country was no longer distant from him.
The appeal came as former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, and Dr. Katrina Swett, a prominent advocate for human rights, religious freedom and international justice, criticised Nigerian authorities for failing to protect citizens of all faiths from extremist violence.
In an emotion-laden address after receiving an award at the gala, Adeboye said terrorism had worsened since the December attacks on terrorist camps in northern Nigeria.
He said the United States and other Western powers would need to take more decisive action if peace was to return to Nigeria.
Drawing from Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, he said Nigeria was trapped by what he described as a structure of untouchables, powerful actors who make the fight against terrorism difficult from within.
He said: “There are certain people in my country that, I regret to say, are untouchable, and only God can deal with them.
“If you want to help us, help us more.
“No matter who is in office in Nigeria, only God can help us.
“Use your influence to help us.”
Adeboye thanked President Trump and the United States Government for what he described as assistance to Nigeria. Nigerian lifestyle content
But he said the work had not gone far enough.
He said Nigeria needed the combined effort of countries such as the United States, Britain, Australia, and other Western allies to help confront terrorist groups and restore peace.
While acknowledging that people of different religions have suffered from terrorist attacks, Adeboye said Christians had become the prime targets of many of the killings.
He added that none of the major ongoing attacks could be traced to Christians.
The cleric also responded to criticism that he had not done enough because much of the violence was concentrated in northern Nigeria.
He said the scale of the crisis had moved beyond what any religious leader or local institution could address alone.
He warned that without external support, Nigeria might not know peace, saying terrorists were emboldened and communities were being overrun.
Adeboye said his church had established an internally displaced persons camp to help victims of terrorist violence.
He said victims were being provided food and relief, and that plans were underway to establish a secondary school for young people in the camp, along with skills training for adults.
The crisis, he said, had created an estimated 11 million displaced persons, many of whom had lost homes, livelihoods, and access to education.
Adeboye, however, said he did not support sweeping accusations that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was doing nothing to fight terrorism. Executive Branch
He said, like Trump, Tinubu’s role as commander-in-chief was to give instructions to the military, but the effectiveness of those instructions depended on execution.
He also said he had advised Tinubu to meet with Trump to demonstrate seriousness in the fight against terrorism before the December military action.
Though Adeboye said he does not agree with everything Trump says, he described the American president as the best politician he had ever known because, according to him, Trump acts on his promises.
“To be a good politician, you must be able to speak two different things from the same mouth,” Adeboye said, adding: “And I like him because when he says: ‘I want to do this,’ you better get ready.”
He said that as Trump winds down the Iran war, he should complete what the cleric described as the good work he started in December against terrorist camps in Nigeria.Nigerian lifestyle content
He said the terrorists were mocking the faith of their victims.
“They are asking: ‘Where is their God?’” Adeboye said, adding that he had gone to God in agony and deep prayer several times over the crisis.
Brownback, a former Governor of Kansas, who also served in the United States Senate and House of Representatives, said it was painful that Nigeria was still bleeding, making apparent reference to the latest killings of 22 persons in Plateau State by suspected Islamist terrorists.
He warned that Nigeria risked losing the nation if terrorists were allowed to overrun it.
He said the United States wanted to help Nigeria defeat terrorism so that Nigerians could fulfil the promise of their country.
He described Nigeria as being “out in the fork” and urged Nigerians and their allies to subdue terrorist networks, including Fulani terrorist groups, and resist any attempt to turn the country into a caliphate.
Swett, in her remarks, described Nigeria as a country of extraordinary people and said America must do more to help Nigeria fight terrorism.
“Yes, the future is in the hands of Nigerians, but America has powerful leverage to do more,” she said.
She expressed satisfaction that the Trump administration was placing Nigeria at the centre of international discussion on religious freedom and terrorism.
In his remarks, Stephen Osemwegie, President of Save Nigeria Group USA and convener of the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition, said the mission would not be complete until the entire terrorist network in Nigeria was dismantled.
“Terrorism is not a Nigerian or American issue,” Osemwegie said, adding: “We need global support to establish global peace.”
He urged both chambers of the United States Congress to speedily pass H.R. 7457, the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2025, and send it to President Trump for signature.Nigerian lifestyle content
Osemwegie paid tribute to two members of Congress, Christopher Smith of New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District and Riley Moore of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, for their sustained efforts in keeping terrorism in Nigeria on the American policy agenda.
He also praised Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo and Leah Sharibu, describing them as symbols of Christian resilience in the face of persecution.
The event, which organisers called: “Thank You, America,” brought together religious leaders, Nigerian diaspora advocates and American human rights voices pressing for stronger action against terrorism and religious persecution in Nigeria.
Among those honoured with the Faith Heroes Award was Bishop Oyedepo, who was represented at the event.
For the organisers, the Washington gathering was both a tribute and a warning: a tribute to those they say have stood for persecuted Christians in Nigeria, and a warning that without global intervention, the crisis could further unravel Africa’s most populous nation.
My Heart Bleeds — Oyedepo
Echoing the profound urgency in a powerful keynote address, Bishop Oyedepo, who extended his apologies for his physical absence, but whose words resonated deeply through the hall, declared that Nigeria is “virtually at the brink of collapse.”
The fiery Chancellor of Covenant University threw his weight behind a monumental legislative move unfolding in Washington: “Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026.”
Citing the horrific data compiled within the US Congressional findings, Oyedepo confronted the stark reality of Nigeria’s bleeding landscape.
The findings reveal that between 2009 and 2025, an estimated 50,000 to 125,000 Christians have been martyred, with over 19,000 churches destroyed.
Shockingly, the report confirms that Nigeria alone accounts for a staggering 72 percent of all Christians martyred worldwide.Nigerian lifestyle content
Pointing directly to the operations of Fulani-ethnic militias, Boko Haram, and ISWAP, Oyedepo backed the US legislative framework seeking to designate these militant groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under international law, referencing the brutal massacres in Benue and Plateau States that claimed over 9,500 lives between 2023 and 2025 alone.
“From the above, you can see that the happenings in our country today call for urgent action from all stakeholders and well-meaning individuals to prevent a situation of total anarchy,” he warned, adding: “The intervention of the United States of America in Nigeria’s affairs is a most welcome one.”
He expressed deep gratitude to President Trump for his passionate concern.
He added: “My heart bleeds as I put down these few lines.
“We look forward to a nation that will be safe, peaceful, and prosperous again.”
Diaspora Ignites Washington
The Gala Night capped off a week of intense advocacy by Save Nigeria USA, which began on Saturday with a massive, roaring Save Nigeria Rally at MacPherson Square, just steps away from the White House.
With 26 civil society groups united under a single banner, the diaspora community has made it clear: they will no longer remain silent while their homeland bleeds.
Oyedepo was represented by Pastor Deji Akin Abiri, Pastor Dayo Ojo, Apostle Jacob Sharpe, and Pastor Seyi Adeyeri.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has approved the appointment of new General Officers Commanding for 6 Division, Port Harcourt and 3 Division, Jos, as well as a new Commander for Army Headquarters Garrison.
Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Appolonia Anele, in a statement on Saturday, said the “strategic reshuffling of senior officers across key operational, command, training and staff appointments within the Nigerian Army (NA) is part of ongoing efforts to enhance operational effectiveness, strengthen national security and consolidate the Army’s capacity to address emerging security challenges across the country.”
In the new posting, Major General WM Dangana has been appointed General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, replacing Major General EF Oyinlola.
Major General EI Okoro takes over as General Officer Commanding 6 Division Nigerian Army and Land Component Commander Joint Task Force South-South Operation Delta Safe, replacing Major General EE Emeka.
Major General JR Lar has been appointed Commander Army Headquarters Garrison, while Brigadier General OM Oyekola assumes office as Acting Military Secretary (Army). Brigadier General I Waziri remains in the Office of the COAS as Chief of Staff.
Also, as part of efforts to deepen operational leadership and force readiness, Brigadier General IB Buhari has been appointed Commander Headquarters 63 Brigade, while Brigadier General K Rabiu takes command of Headquarters 31 Artillery Brigade.
Major General SA Emmanuel has been appointed Commander Nigerian Army Space Command, reinforcing the Army’s growing focus on emerging domains of warfare and technology-driven security operations.
Major General O Adegbe has also been appointed Director of Intelligence and Security at Defence Headquarters.
In the area of professional military education and institutional development, Major General KE Chigbu has been appointed Deputy Commandant of the National Defence College while Major General SD Makolo has been appointed Commandant of the Nigerian Army Armour School.
Major General SO Adejimi becomes Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport, and Major General FS Etim has been appointed Chief of Training at Headquarters Training and Doctrine Command Nigerian Army (TRADOC NA). Brigadier General U Ahmad takes over as Commandant, Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria.
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Other appointments include Major General KO Ukandu as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Post Housing Development Limited (PHDL) and Major General AI Allison as Managing Director of Defence Properties Limited.
The COAS charged the newly appointed senior officers to justify the confidence reposed in them by demonstrating exemplary leadership, professionalism, innovation and unwavering commitment to the Nigerian Army’s constitutional mandate of defending Nigeria’s sovereignty, protecting its territorial integrity and supporting civil authority in maintaining peace and security across the nation.
“The Nigerian Army remains resolute in its transformation drive and commitment to building a highly professional, combat-ready and people-oriented force capable of effectively addressing contemporary and future security challenges in pursuit of Nigeria’s national security objectives,” the statement said.
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