Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has granted a pardon to convicted native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki, and appointed him Ambassador for Youth Reformation in the state.
Soludo announced the pardon on Friday, September 18, 2026, during a visit to the Correctional Centre in Amawbia, Anambra State, where he also inspected the facility and reviewed the welfare of inmates.
Nwangwu was among eight native doctors arrested by the Anambra State Government in 2025 following the enactment of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law.
He was prosecuted over allegations relating to the promotion of money rituals, quick-wealth schemes and the use of human parts for ritual purposes, among other allegations linked to fetish practices.
Following a plea bargain, Nwangwu was convicted by the Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. However, part of the sentence was ordered to run concurrently with the period he had already spent in custody, leaving him with 11 months to serve.
The court also ordered the demolition of his shrine in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
As part of the conditions attached to his rehabilitation, Nwangwu was required to renounce Oke-ite and related charm practices and, after completing his sentence, serve as an ambassador for youth reorientation and speak publicly against such practices.
However, Soludo has now exercised his prerogative of mercy to bring Nwangwu’s remaining jail term to an end.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Youth Reformation, Dr Nelson Omenugha, disclosed the development in a statement on Friday.
Omenugha thanked Soludo for extending the pardon to Nwangwu and giving him a new responsibility under the state’s youth reformation programme.
He said the development reflected the administration’s approach of combining punishment with correction, restoration and the provision of a new purpose for those undergoing rehabilitation.
“Thank you, Mr Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, for graciously extending your hand of mercy to Chidozie Nwangwu (Akwa Okuko Tiwara Aki) and giving him a new responsibility as Ambassador for Youth Reformation,” Omenugha said.
“This is the heart of Youth Reformation: not just punishment, but correction, restoration, a new purpose and a new Onye Anambra.”
The pardon means Nwangwu will leave the Amawbia correctional facility and take up the youth reformation role as part of the state’s campaign to discourage young people from practices associated with quick wealth and criminality.
