…Offenders Risk Closure of Premises

The Anambra State Government has warned traditional medicine practitioners to comply with the newly enacted Anambra State Indigenous Traditional Medicine Practices Regulatory Agency and Other Related Matters Law, 2026, or face stiff sanctions.

The State House of Assembly passed the bill on March 31, 2026, and Governor Chukwuma Soludo assented to it in April 2026.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with traditional medicine practitioners in Awka over the weekend, the Majority Leader of the Anambra State House of Assembly and Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security, Hon. Ifeanyi Ofodeme, said any native doctor or Ezenwanyi found violating the law risks closure of premises and possible confiscation of property.

He explained that the law was introduced in response to rising crime rates, stressing that spiritual practices should not be used to harm society.

“You don’t use the God you serve to destroy society,” he said.

Ofodeme noted that the law aims to standardise practice, protect practitioners’ rights, preserve traditional beliefs and heritage, curb abuses, and regulate operations within the sector.

He added that any practitioner who fails to report the death of a client in their premises commits an offence and may face closure of their facility upon conviction by a court of law.

The law also prescribes penalties for practising without a licence, making false declarations, obstructing regulatory access to premises, and resisting enforcement actions.

Furthermore, practitioners who engage in environmental pollution—such as performing animal sacrifices in public spaces or water bodies in ways that endanger public health—will also be sanctioned.

Ofodeme emphasised that the law is not intended to intimidate practitioners but to protect both them and their clients. He described it as the first comprehensive regulation of its kind since the creation of Anambra State in 1991, noting that it differs significantly from the existing Anambra Herbal Practices Law.

According to him, the law establishes a regulatory board comprising a chairman, representatives of the Commissioners for Health and Culture and Tourism, and three zonal representatives of traditional practitioners. The board will oversee the agency’s activities for a four-year term, renewable once.

He added that the framework provides for digital registration, licensing, and continuous training of practitioners across the state.

In his remarks, the Coordinator of Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Anambra State, Ezedibia Daniel Ejie, commended Governor Soludo and the State Assembly for enacting the law, as well as Ofodeme for clarifying its provisions.

Ejie said the law would help expose individuals hiding under the guise of traditional medicine to perpetrate criminal activities, adding that only registered and verified practitioners would be allowed to operate.
He noted that the data capture system would enhance security and reduce harassment of genuine practitioners by law enforcement agencies.

Some stakeholders, including legal practitioner Zulike Chinwuba and Momah Eyisi Akpamgbo, also praised the initiative, noting that it would sanitise the sector and eliminate bad actors.

They urged the government to ensure that only qualified and credible practitioners are appointed to the regulatory board and pledged their support for effective implementation of the law.