By Deborah Nnamdi
An Anambra State High Court sitting in Awka has sentenced a detained native doctor, Chidozie Nwangwu, popularly known as Akwaokuko Tiwara Aki, to 12 years imprisonment.
Delivering judgment, Justice Jude Obiora found Nwangwu guilty on counts three, four, five, six, seven, and eight, sentencing him to two years on each count. The court, however, struck out counts one, two, nine, and 10.
Justice Obiora ruled that the sentences would run concurrently. He noted that the convict had already spent 13 months in detention at the Agunechemba facility in Awka and would therefore serve the remaining 11 months at the Nigerian Correctional Service facility in Awka.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered that Nwangwu’s controversial shrine located in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area, be destroyed, with the demolition recorded on video.
The judge further directed that the convict must sign an undertaking renouncing okite practices and, upon completion of his sentence, serve as a youth ambassador to correct the impression he allegedly created among young people about acquiring wealth through illegal means. He was also ordered to use all his social media platforms to publicly announce that he no longer engages in okite.
Justice Obiora disclosed that he had initially considered imposing fines of N20 million each on three additional counts in lieu of six-year prison terms prescribed by law but decided to waive the fines after observing Nwangwu’s remorse during his detention.
Although defence counsel urged the court to allow the sentence to be served at the Agunechemba facility, the judge ruled that the term must be served at the Awka Correctional Centre, noting that the Agunechemba facility lacks the required correctional infrastructure.
Meanwhile, two of his associates — Onyebuchi Okocha, also known as Onyeze Jesus, and Ekene Igboekweze — remain in detention.
