The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Anambra chapter has blamed those it identified as ‘witch doctors’ but ‘who call themselves native doctors’ for encouraging the current rise in the incidence of cultism in the state.

State Chairman of CAN, Ven. Joseph Nweke who disclosed this to newsmen in Onitsha, Anambra State, lamented that while all the Christian denominations in the state were busy preaching against cultism and occult practices, the ‘witch-doctors’, on their part, were busy encouraging life in the occult by performing ritual murders and dishing charms to fortify the cultists who are bedeviling the society today.

Ven. Nweke, who is also the Archdeacon of Onitsha Inland Town Archdeaconry of the Anglican Church, noted that from the CAN point of view, cultism is anti-Christian and unfortunately too, government of Anambra state is also condoning the clandestine activities of the ‘witch-doctors’ by indiscriminately issuing them with licenses, without proper regulation of their activities.

“There is a saying that unexamined life is not worth living. Therefore, an unregulated traditional practitioners are not worthy of encouraging. As CAN, our first approach will be to stop the engine house of the occult people who are the traditional medicine men (Ndi Dibia),” Ven. Nweke said.

“Government does not possess the necessary gadget to regulate them. Therefore banning them will be the first and foremost step in curtailing the occult life in the society. It is these native doctors that are demanding human parts to perform their rituals, thereby encouraging the cultists to commit ritual murders.

“As CAN in Anambra State, we are encouraging religious leaders to intensify efforts in their religious and moral education in secondary and tertiary institutions. As CAN also, we are collaborating with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the state Ministry of Education in taking the war against cultism to the door steps of our young ones through our volunteer instructors in all the primary and secondary schools every Thursday morning to inculcate good morals in our younger generation.

“We thank the two major denominations – Anglican and Roman Catholic churches who are giving prizes in all the schools in Anambra State and issuing certificates of good performance to deserving students on morality.”

Describing native doctors as the architects of cultism, Ven. Nweke pleaded with parents to sit up and stop their children from cultism, so as not to preserve what will kill them, warning that Ebenebe and Ogbunike cult killings were still fresh and yet none of the cult members had been apprehended till date.