From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has raised concern over what it described as worsening human rights abuses, cultural desecration, and unlawful detentions taking place under the administration of Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo in Anambra State.
In a detailed letter addressed to the Anambra State Executive Council and made available to journalists in Enugu, the group called on the state government to stop the alleged criminalization of traditional religious practices.
It urged the urgent passage of laws that would safeguard religious freedom and protect Igbo ethnic heritage.
The strongly worded 11-page document, signed by Intersociety’s Lead Researcher and Head, Emeka Umeagbalasi, was addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, and dated June 19, 2025.
The letter was also copied to 20 top government officials, including traditional rulers, community leaders, the state Commissioner of Police, Director of the DSS, and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
“Intersociety is strongly calling on the Prof Charles Soludo-led government of Anambra State to allow his administration to at all times be dictated by the principles of Rule of Law and Human Rights,” the letter stated.
It decried the “reckless resort to false labeling, hearsay conclusions, and entertainment of frivolous petitions,” which it claimed have led to “indiscriminate arrest and inhuman detention of defenseless citizens without trial.”
According to Intersociety, it has received credible reports of citizens detained for up to five months without bail or trial, many allegedly branded as ritualists, kidnappers, or armed robbers, based on unverified petitions or vague accusations—often made by the state-backed Agunaechemba/Udo Gachi security outfit.
One of the most disturbing cases, the group noted, involved the 600-year-old Udo Orie Market Deity in Uga, Aguata Local Government Area, and her Chief Priest, Nze Chukwunenye Okoli-Udo (Akajiugo N’Uga), who have allegedly come under repeated attacks from radical religious elements and state security operatives.
“From our records, the ancient Market Deity had survived more than seven destructive attacks in the past 13 years, and we had risen in strong defense of her protection not less than five times,” Umeagbalasi noted.
The group accused the government of encouraging the “generalised criminalisation” of traditional institutions, saying custodians of ancient deities are being wrongly lumped together with criminal suspects.
“They are now being portrayed as providers of charms for ritualists and armed robbers, without a shred of evidence. About 99 percent of communally instituted deities in Igbo Land are incapable of public harm, except in cases of violation or neglect of their sacred codes,” the letter added.
Intersociety urged the Anambra State Executive Council to immediately transmit two executive bills to the State House of Assembly: one for the protection of traditional antiquities and their custodians, and another for the guarantee of freedom of religion and protection of Igbo ethnic identity.
The group stressed that the proposed laws should safeguard sacred communal institutions such as the Igbo Progenitors’ Landing Site at Enugu-Aguleri, the Eze-Nri priest-kingship system, the Ogbunike Cave, and deities like Udo Orie Uga from persecution and political manipulation.
It warned Governor Soludo against becoming complicit in what it termed “a looming cultural genocide,” likening the situation to the colonial-era dismantling of Igbo kingships by missionary forces.
“Governor Soludo must be extremely careful not to repeat the historical errors of cultural destruction, all in the name of governing Anambra for just eight years,” Umeagbalasi cautioned.
In a rare show of balance, the group also advocated for the protection of missionary antiquities in future legislation, including the All Saints Cathedral (Anglican), founded in 1857, and the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Catholic), established in 1885, both located in Onitsha.
It described them as part of Anambra’s shared religious and historical heritage that must not be excluded from protective legal frameworks.