Tony Okafor, Awka
Traditional Medicine Practitioners in Anambra State have protested alleged extortion of about N200m from its licensed members by one Daniel Ejie.
They alleged that Ejie co-formed an agency called Indigenous Medicine and Herbal Practice to extort money from members.
They further alleged that Ejie was neither a medical doctor nor a traditional medicine practitioner contrary to his claims but that he operated from the office of a former Special Assistant to the governor on Indigenous Medicine and herbal practice to the immediate past governor.
Addressing a press conference in Awka, the Anambra State capital on Monday, the Chairman Peace and Conflict Resolution, Anambra State Traditional Medicine practitioners, Abada Benson and Secretary of the association, Chief Patrick Ihionu, alleged that Ejie had collected about N200 million from practitioners without providing account to the government or even to the Traditional Medicine Board.
Abada alleged that Ejie inaugurated a false board of traditional medicine which only the governor had the right to inaugurate based on Anambra State Traditional Medicine Board Edict No 2 1994.
They said, “All the budget money for Traditional Medicine is always embezzled by Mr. Daniel Ejie and his team” He commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for his good performance in the state especially in the area of security, and promised to work with Anambra State Government through the State Ministry of Health.
“Therefore, we are using this medium to inform our able Governor to call Mr. Daniel Ejie to order and also we want to inform the Governor and the general public that Mr. Daniel Ejie is neither a medical doctor nor a traditional medicine practitioner which he claims to be, …we the Traditional Medicine Practitioners will not work with his false agency, come rain, come sun.
“The indigenous medicine and Herbal Practice task force invade our members homes or offices, harass, intimidate and extort money from them. We are aggrieved and that’s why we are protesting. We don’t know this indigenous medicine and Herbal Practice/task force.
“We urge the state government to stop this task force disrupting our activities and humanitarian duties to the public.
“We are ready for him and we shall challenge him in the court of law. Moreso, we hereby call on the Inspector General of Police to arrest him for his atrocities against the Traditional Medicine Practitioners.
“We call on our able Governor to set up a committee that will investigate Mr. Daniel Ejie concerning the money he extorted from the practitioners and also to investigate budget money they embezzled for years and they used the office of the former SA on Indigenous Medicine and Herbal Practice to the immediate past Governor.
“We ask our Governor to inaugurate Traditional Medicine Board to enable us stop the quacks and to fight those that use Traditional Medicine to commit atrocities in Anambra State”.
