Anambra Government Demands Citizen Evidence Following Crackdown on Fraudulent Clerg

The Anambra State Government has appealed to members of the public to provide credible evidence and testimonies against several arrested religious leaders accused of exploitation, fraud, and various criminal activities.

The request follows an expansion of the state’s security operations, which previously targeted fraudulent traditional medicine practitioners, to now encompass individuals using religious institutions as covers for illegal operations.

According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr. Law Mefor, the crackdown aims to sanitize both traditional and religious spaces while enforcing the state’s Homeland Security Law.

The state government urged residents with verified information regarding financial extortion, fraudulent practices, or activities that threaten communal peace by religious figures to contact security channels, promising strict confidentiality for all informants.

The appeal comes amid active legal proceedings against several religious leaders in the state:

June 5, 2026: Eight pastors were arraigned before an Awka High Court for allegedly violating the Homeland Security Law, specifically for staging fraudulent miracles using paid actors. The defendants remain remanded at the Amawbia Correctional Centre pending a bail hearing on June 15, 2026.

June 12, 2026: Security operatives arrested the General Overseer of Day Spring Assembly in Awada, Onitsha. The cleric faces allegations ranging from gross sexual misconduct and child marriage to extortion involving church members.

State officials emphasized that these enforcement actions are intended to protect genuine religious and traditional freedoms by separating legitimate worship from criminal exploitation. Authorities have provided dedicated hotlines for residents to submit relevant documentation and eyewitness accounts to assist ongoing prosecutions.