“DON’T TARGET ONLY NATIVE DOCTORS” — REV. FR. CHIDI PHILIPS WARNS OF RELIGIOUS BIAS IN ANAMBRA
“DON’T TARGET ONLY NATIVE DOCTORS” — REV. FR. CHIDI PHILIPS WARNS OF RELIGIOUS BIAS IN ANAMBRA
A Nigerian Catholic priest has sparked fresh debate over the ongoing crackdown on native doctors in Anambra State, warning that targeting only traditional spiritual practitioners while ignoring questionable miracle claims in Christian ministries could amount to selective justice.
Rev. Fr. Chidi Philips, a Chinese-based Nigerian priest, made the remarks in a strongly worded reaction posted on his Facebook page while commenting on the campaign led by the state government under Charles Soludo.
In the post, the priest reacted to viral videos showing suspected native doctors being taken to their shrines and asked to invoke the spirits they claim to serve. In one widely circulated clip, a young man was reportedly unable to demonstrate the powers he claimed to possess, leading many observers to label him a fraud.
While acknowledging that some traditional practitioners may indeed be deceptive, Fr. Philips argued that religious deception is not limited to traditional belief systems.
“Perhaps he is fake,” the priest wrote. “But the truth is that fakeness does not exist only in traditional religion; it also exists in some Christian ministries, especially among those who publicly claim to perform healing and miracle crusades.”
The cleric questioned whether some pastors, evangelists, and self-proclaimed miracle workers who promise supernatural healings during large religious gatherings would fare any better if subjected to similar scrutiny.
“If truly sick people, people with serious and verifiable illnesses, were taken to many of these priests, pastors and miracle workers who promise instant healing, many of them will fail in the same way,” he stated.
According to him, faith itself should not be confused with religious performance, warning that desperate people searching for healing often become victims of exaggerated spiritual claims.
“Fake is fake, no matter the religion,” he added. “Deception does not become holy simply because it happens inside a church instead of a shrine.”
