The case between the Government of Anambra State and ‘Pastor’ Harrison Anazodo, an Onitsha-based spiritualist, who is reported to be married to over 50 women and also involved in wife swapping, among others, today appeared at the Anambra State High Court for continuation of his trial.
During the proceedings, an application to grant the defendant bail on health grounds was made by the counsel to the defendant, W. Abonye, Esq., but was denied by the Judge, Honourable Justice Jude Obiora, who affirmed that the defendant has no life-threatening medical condition.
The prosecution counsel, led by the Chief State Counsel, Chineze Ononye-Ekwerekwu, Esq., demonstrated readiness to proceed with the trial with a twenty-paragraph counter-affidavit and two exhibits.
She also convinced the court that the State is willing to prosecute the matter and already has witnesses lined up.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to October 16, 2026.
Mr. Harrison Anazodo is being tried on seven-count charge that borders on a violation of the Anambra State Homeland Security Law, 2025.
About two months ago, Mr. Anazodo was called out vigorously for human trafficking and abduction of people’s wives, abduction of both mother and daughter for forced marriage with him, among others.
This led to his arrest by the State Government, and at the time of his arrest, not less than eleven babies were found in his house, and when he was interrogated, he confessed that he did not know the number of wives he had.
Reacting to the court appearance, a Senior Special Assistant to Anambra State Governor, Dr Ebuka Onyekwelu, said Anazodo’s arrest and trial speak to the resolve of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo’s led Anambra State Government to sanitize the State and enthrone law and order.
He said the development also speaks to how responsive the state government is to the plights and concerns raised by the Anambra people.
Onyekwelu recalled that Anazodo’s arrest followed several complaints raised on social media and other state government digital platforms, which have formed avenues for the people to interact with the state government and get feedback.
The media aide emphasized that the state government’s responsiveness in dealing with issues raised by the people earned it the outstanding 100% rating it got in the recently released 2026 third quarter Open Government Partnership, OGP assessment results.
“The assessment, which saw only a handful of states in the league of excellent performance out of 28 Nigerian States, speaks to a performance-based rating on clear indicators. This strong performance by the Government of Anambra State demonstrates a firm commitment to a strong institutional framework, backed by an action plan and the implementation of clear indicators highlighting the open government partnership terms.
“In July, Anambra State also scored 100% on the Open Government Assessment list of healthy states in Nigeria, and this recent ranking clearly shows Anambra is on a verifiable path to sustainable growth and progress.
“Anambra is one of the 28 Nigerian States that voluntarily signed on to the Open Government Partnership, committing to multi-stakeholder engagement, serious political commitment, firm governance structures, and strong digitization, where Anambra’s performance remains exceptional. Assessments of sub-nationals in Nigeria are therefore based on those indications and how well States have complied with implementing those changes expected to impact the populace.
“So far, Anambra State is the only State in the Southeast geo-political zone with such a high ranking, and the only State in the Southeast classified as exceptional by the Open Government Partnership,” Onyekwelu noted.
