On the nexus between idolatry and criminality in Nigeria

Last November, a native doctor, Ismail Usman, sustained severe gunshot wounds and almost died while he was trying to test and show his clients the efficacy of his bullet proof charm in Kuchibiyi community in Bwari area council of the Federal Capital Territory. He shot himself with a locally made gun. In 2013, the Enugu State police command arrested a renowned native doctor from Umuopu in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area for aiding kidnappers by providing charms for them. These are some examples of how native doctors embolden criminals with the charms they procure from their shrines.

This has to stop. Interestingly, Anambra State government, led by Governor Chukwuma Soludo, has thrown up a very important conversation into the public space. The state government argues that idolatry is on the rise and that there is a nexus between criminality, kidnaping and idolatry in Nigeria. It is difficult to argue against this hypothesis. When you take a look at most of the kidnap dens busted by Nigeria’s security personnel, you cannot miss the number of idols and charms scattered in some of these dens and hideouts. Charms by native doctors give criminals the ‘false confidence’ to be more daring.

There is actually a resurgence of idol worship in Nigeria – a practice that modern day Christianity tried to abolish with the coming of the colonial masters. An  article by the Biblical Theology & CRS Research Project Material attributes this to socio-political factors, including economic instability, widespread corruption, quest for identity among younger generations and the increasing disillusionment with established Christian institutions which has fostered an environment ripe for traditional religious practices.

Today, criminals – who depend on idols and charms – have no respect for clergies in our society. In fact, clergies, in some cases, are the target of kidnapping. This has to stop and the Church has to reinvent itself in order to put a stop to the rising spate of idolatry.

Anambra is right with its proposed policy on regulating traditional native doctors, especially those who are in the habit of making charms for criminals. This policy by the Anambra State government is commendable. It will differentiate the genuine native doctors from those who are in the business of aiding criminals. Anambra’s model in using technology and community-based initiative in combating criminality in its soon to be unveiled ‘’Operation Udo ga Chi’’ programme should be copied by other states in Nigeria. (According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigerians paid a total of 2.23 trillion naira in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024).

Actually, Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act criminalizes the use of charms. Section 213 of the Criminal Code Act in Nigeria reads: ‘’Any person who‐ (a) makes, sells or keeps for sale or for hire or reward, any fetish or charm which is pretended or reputed to possess power to protect burglars, robbers, thieves or other malefactors, or to aid or assist in any way in the perpetration of any burglary, housebreaking, robbery or theft, or in the perpetration of any offence whatsoever, or to prevent, hinder or delay the detection of or conviction for any offence whatsoever; or (b) is found having in his possession without lawful and reasonable excuse (the proof of which excuse shall lie on such person) any such fetish or charm as aforesaid, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for five years.’’

Granted, Africans are very spiritual and this dates back to precolonial times. Spiritual security dates back to centuries ago. Africans use traditional knowledge systems not only for security, but also to settle disputes and for social control, conflict resolution, justice administration, peace engineering and social harmony. But this ought to be a personal defense mechanism just as Christians and Muslims pray to God for protection. Unfortunately, these spiritual mechanisms are now being used to promote crime and insecurity. This is criminal.

Whether these charms are efficacious is not the point but the main issue is that criminals who procure them are embolden by them and motivated to be more daring. One of Nigeria’s most notorious armed robbers, Lawrence Anini, who declared war on the Nigeria Police Force in the late 1980s and normally wrote letters to his victims before he attacked, was believed to be invincible. Many criminals who saw Anini as their role model believed his charms helped him to disappear whenever he was about to be caught. This strange mentality, up till today, emboldens criminals.

There are numerous stories of how internet fraudsters (also known as ‘yahoo plus boys’) patronize native doctors. Let us take some examples of the so many stories in this space. In 2018, following the rise of kidnapping and internet scams in Delta State, the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, arrested six native doctors in Ughelli and its environs. Reports say these native doctors aided ‘yahoo plus boys’ in performing human rituals. Another 2018 viral video showed a native doctor in Ogun State posing with dollars in a bid to attract potential ‘Yahoo plus boys’. Apparently, this was a way to showcase the dollars he has received from the ‘Yahoo plus boys’ he has ‘helped’ in the past.

To be clear, not all native doctors are criminals or aid criminals. Some are decent and stick to traditional methods used in curing ailments. But current events call for a strong regulation of this rising industry. Anambra has, thus, set a good precedence in the regulation of native doctors. The criminals amongst them must be brought to book.

Nwankwo is the special adviser to Soludo on special projects.