Faces charges for attempted suicide, illegal possession of firearms
A herbalist in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ismail Usman, has been hospitalized after shooting himself in an attempt to test the effectiveness of a self-made ‘bulletproof’ charm.
The incident occurred at the Kuchibuyi village in the nation’s capital penultimate Saturday.
Usman was said to have picked a locally fabricated gun after fortifying himself with the charm he had prepared and shot himself in the stomach.
The charm, unfortunately, failed to protect him, leaving him severely injured.
According to a statement issued on Saturday, the Public Relations Officer of FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Josephine Adeh, received a distress call from a resident on the incident.
Adeh said officers from the Byazhin Division arrived at the scene and rushed Usman to Kubwa General Hospital.
Adeh added that due to the severity of his injuries, Usman was later transferred to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, where doctors are working tirelessly to save his life.
She said: “A distress call from Shandam Michael reported a shocking event involving Ismail Usman, a local herbalist known for his unconventional methods.
“In a misguided attempt to test the effectiveness of a self-made ‘bulletproof’ charm, Usman shot himself in the stomach with a shotgun.
“Unfortunately, the charm failed to protect him, resulting in life-threatening injuries.
“Officers from the Byazhin Division responded swiftly, arriving at the scene to find Usman in critical condition.
“He was quickly transported to Kubwa General Hospital for emergency treatment and later transferred to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital for further care.
“In the aftermath, police conducted a thorough search of Usman’s home, recovering the homemade gun and an array of charms used in his reckless experiment.”
Adeh said Usman would face charges for unlawful possession of firearms and attempted suicide, which violates Section 231 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria.
She said: “Investigations are ongoing and Usman is expected to face charges for unlawful possession of firearms and attempted suicide under Section 231 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria.
“Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Olatunji Disu, condemned the incident, highlighting the dangers associated with illegal firearms.”
I collected only N5m, her daughter an accomplice, lover, says accused
An 86-year-old woman is currently battling to retrieve N19 million from a blind herbalist who allegedly defrauded her under the pretext of healing her child and making money rituals for her, reports Head of Investigation Desk, KUNLE AKINRINADE.
The desperate attempt of an aged woman to prevent death from snatching her children has landed her in trouble. The 86-year-old woman identified simply as Madam Alimot had 15 children, but they were snatched by death one after the other until she was left with only three.
When one of the remaining children was also hit by a strange illness last year, the octogenarian woman began a frantic search for healing. In the process, she stumbled on a weekly programme on a popular radio station based in Ogun State, where a blind herbalist was advertised as a man with mystical powers to heal the sick and see visions about people’s life problems.
Consequently, Madam Alimot, who lives in Mowe area of Ogun State, visited the herbalist, Owolabi Adefemi a.k.a. Ojunu after taking down the his phone number and address, at his home in Ogijo, another community in Ogun State, for a solution to the sickness that had seized her daughter.
Unknown to her, she had walked into the dragnet of a fraudster. Adefemi was said to have told the woman that death was hovering around her household and could only be averted through an atonement requiring a sacrifice with a cow.
The desperate woman promptly provided the amount requested for the sacrifice, setting off a chain of subsequent requests for additional money for unexpected sacrifices that gulped a princely N19 million.
By the time the scales fell off from the eyes of the woman and her children, she had sold her two buildings while her daughter and granddaughter had warmed the herbalist’s bed several times.
The homeless aged woman and her children are now left to cry for justice and a refund of the money the herbalist allegedly defrauded them of.
She said she had noticed that rather than giving her a concoction for the treatment of her daughter’s illness, the herbalist kept saying he could make her rich after making some sacrifice with cows and other expensive items.
Alimot said: “He said we were taking the big cow to Agbara and later changed it to Mowo area of Badagry.
“We were asked to enter the house with our back to the door, and we saw a well-built young man on the floor. He said the cow we gave him money to buy had turned into a man.
“He asked me to pray on the young man’s body and stab him to death but I declined. They took our photographs and I challenged him to take our photograph at the scene while I held the knife in my hand.
“We were shown plenty of cash of different denominations stuffed in a sack.
“Babalawo Ojunu (Owolabi Adefemi) and one old man called Agbaakin, who we met in the building, then said that we could not take the money because we did not come with the third person. We left the place without the money.
“When we went back to him, he also did not give us the money. Instead, he said the money would just appear in my house with at night.
” Later, he said a monarch in Ile-Ife, Osun State had summoned him over my matter and that a sum of N2 million was needed to pacify the monarch.
“We ended up paying him the sum of N5 million on that day, but he never gave me any charm for my sick child and the child has not died contrary to what he said to cajole me to sell my houses and give him the proceeds of the sale.
“I sold the house I had built with N9 million for N5 million and gave him the money. I also sold another house and gave him the money, totalling about N19 million.
“I want to collect my money from Owolabi Adefemi a.k.a. Ojunu and Nigerians should help me because I don’t have anywhere to call home anymore.
“I have also developed high blood pressure, among other complications, as a result of this predicament of mine.
“My drugs cost N15,000 and I don’t even have money to buy the drugs as I speak.”
One of Madam Alimot’s children, Bose, said: “I want to plead with Nigerians to help me beg Owolabi Adefemi a.k.a. Ojunu, a herbalist, to leave us alone, because my mother is dying right now.
“He has been collecting huge sums of money from my mother and my mother is panicking now.
“He cajoled my mother to sell two houses and collected the proceeds from the sale of the buildings, yet he has not let go of her.
“My mother was contemplating suicide and we have been begging her not to kill herself.
“I did not know him before until my mother gave the phone to him and he told me that I should follow her to Badagry for a certain propitiation.
“When we got to Mowo area of Badagry, he told us that we would need to buy a cow that cost N280,000 and an additional N38,000 for transporting the cow to the place where the atonement against death would be made.
“He said that failure to do that would result in multiple deaths in our family.
“That day, he took me into a dingy house and asked me to enter the house with my back to the door.
“On entering the place, I saw an old man there who asked me to pray in front of a deity, but I refused.
“He collected the N38,000 meant for transporting the cow from me and we left.
“When we returned to the place again, the old man I saw in the house led us to the back of the building where we saw a well-built man lying helplessly on the floor.
“I asked why the cow was not brought there but he said it was the cow that had turned into the helpless man on the floor and that it was begging not to be slaughtered for the sacrifice meant to avert my mother’s death.
“I was just laughing at his response, and I started shouting blood of Jesus Christ.
“He then gave me a knife to kill the man, saying that a picture of the scene would be taken twice.
“When I refused to take the knife from him, he shouted at my mother who was then visibly shaken when she was asked to hold the knife and pose with the ‘cow’ for a photograph, and she was photographed twice.
“He collected the sum of N3.8 million. I gathered the money from various sources including someone in my neighbourhood and cooperative society. Yet he kept disturbing me, saying that I have to come to pay him another N1.5 million as the balance of the total sum before they would unveil something I don’t understand.
“I warned my mother to stop giving the man money because I sensed that he was a fraudster. But my mother disagreed with me, saying that the man only wanted to help her out of her child’s ill-health.
“The matter has scattered our family as other relatives assumed that I was the one that collected the money realised from the sale of one of her buildings. They did not know that my own money was also included in the amount collected by the herbalist.
“I remember that I personally transferred the money paid for the purchase of one of her houses to her, which she in turn paid to the herbalist.
“She later sold the house she was living for N5 million and gave it to the herbalist.
“My mother has nowhere to live now. He cannot stay with me because my apartment is too small to accommodate both of us.
“Besides, I am a widow struggling to make ends meet because I don’t live on a salary.”
Bose explained further that Adefemi cajoled her mother and also lured her to bed after he had scammed them of millions of naira.
“He actually asked my mother to sell her house. He claimed that there was something in the house that was buried underneath the foundation, and that a cow costing N350,000 would be needed to remove the evil substance from the house.
“He said that he would personally come to my mother’s house to remove the evil item buried in the house by unknown persons. He however changed his mind and asked my mother and my aunt to come over to Badagry where the sacrifice would be carried out.
“He said the item was buried inside a big pot under the building and that he could invoke the item to come out of the ground where it was buried.
“He once asked me to come on a particular day and he took me into his office where a strange creature was humming. He paid for my transportation when I told him I had no money to transport myself to and from his house.
“He later said that we would go to Badagry together and I told him that I had no money to transport myself there.
“He said that three strange birds costing N750,000 each would be needed to offer additional sacrifices.
“He told my mother to sell a three-bedroom bungalow in the Mowe area of Ogun State. The building is located on a one-and-a-half plot of land.
“I did not know anything about it and did not collect from the proceeds. The entire money was given to the herbalist.
“I lived in Ikorodu for 13 years and I did not know this herbalist called Ojunu. My mother said that he had been hearing about the herbalist lately on the radio and how he had been handling several spiritual afflictions despite the fact that he was blind.
“At a point, he told me that if there would be a permanent solution to my mother’s sickness, he would have to have an affair with me.
“I initially turned down the proposal, but he said that there was not nothing he could do if I was not ready to date him. I later acceded to his request and he made love to me in the hotel and in his house.
“He also said that he saw a vision and cajoled me to bring my daughter who is in her 20s to come for spiritual cleansing, and he slept with her too.
“He collected a total N19 million from my mother between December 2022 and April 2023.
“I asked my mother to tell me the purpose for selling her properties and giving the money to Baba Ojunu but she wouldn’t talk.
“Baba Ojunu later warned us against telling anyone about what transpired between my mother and him as well as my love affair with him, threatening that we would lose our lives if we did not heed his warning.
“In fact, he made me take several oaths with him and warned me of dire consequences if I told anyone about what transpired between us.
“My mother has no house to live in now and my aunt is also now indebted to his employers and others.
“Baba Ojunu had no car before we started giving him money, but along the line, he bought two cars: a Toyota Forerunner Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and a sports car with Ojunu 1 on the number plates.
“We later learnt that one of his sons took the car away and plunged it into a river.
“He bought plots of land from various persons from the money he collected from us.
“His first wife, Mama Niyi, was the one that told us that he defrauded us when he used police to arrest her son who stole his car.
“We went to his house that day to plead with him to refund the money he collected from my mother when his first wife, Mama Niyi, confronted him for arresting his son, saying ‘You arrested my son for taking a car you bought from the money you scammed Bose (me) and her mother…. you (Ojunu) are a thief.’”
Explaining his complicity in the matter, the embattled herbalist described Bose as his accomplice in the matter.
Adefemi said: “Mama came to me in September 2022 for a cure to diabetes. We all know that diabetes has no permanent cure.
“She explained to me that she had spent all her money on seeking treatment for the illness and that she wanted to do money rituals.
“I told her that I could not do money rituals for her and that I could only invoke a spirit to fetch her money from a public vault. I told her that she risks jail term if she is found to be the brains behind the spirit that would fetch the money for her.’’
Adefemi said that Bose actually connived with him to defraud her mother, alleging that she was paid 10 per cent on every payment made by her aged mother.
He said: “Mama Alimot paid for the production of a cabinet to save the money. She paid me N350,000 that day and I gave her daughter Bose part of the money before taking her to a hotel where I made love to her same day.
“Bose was the one that was giving me information whenever Mama had money, and I would work on the old woman to collect more money from her.
“For example, she told me that her mother had just collected her share of the sale of a landed property running into millions of naira. He asked me to work on her mother to collect part of the money and I did.
“Her mother even gave her N800,000 from the money to give to me. I gave Bose her own share of the money.
“Whenever Bose was broke, she would call me and ask me for money and I usually gave her.
“My wife did not know that I slept with Bose. I gave Bose part of the money in bits like N5000 or N8,000.
“She (Bose) recently told me that her mother was sick and I asked her mother to provide a big cow that would be sacrificed to avert her death.
“She gave me money for the cow and bought a new knife as directed. I told Mama that the cow had turned into a young man and that he had to kill the young man if indeed she wanted to be free from sickness.
“Mama did not kill anybody. I was the one that set her up just to create fear in her by photographing the scene where I asked them to kill the young man I lied was the cow. I actually collected N350,000 three times for the cows.
“I only defrauded Mama of over N5 million for seven months (September 2022 to March 2023) and not N19 million. The house Mama sold was where she lived in the Mowe area of Ogun State.
“From the money I collected from Bose’s mother, I was also sharing to my first wife, Mama Niyi, until I arrested my son, Niyi, who stole my Toyota Camry car, television set and generator, hence, Niyi’s mother publicly exposed me for using police to arrest her son.’’
“I used to deceive them that a spirit was talking with Mama about her predicament. What Mama did not know is that I was the one faking the voice of an old woman to deceive her. However, Bose and I spent the money together and I am telling the truth.
“I am treating high concentration of sugar in my body and I spend over N10,000 on treatment on a weekly basis.
“If I had money-making charms, I would have done it for myself and become rich before doing it for others.
“I can only promise to refund Mama’s N800,000 and they would have to give me time to raise the money because I am broke at the moment.’’
Men of Ikotun Police Division,Lagos, on Tuesday interrogated a Lagos –based herbalist, Kofi Mesan, for allegedly abducting a 9-year-old daughter of his lover, Adebisi Adelowo.
In a report published last Saturday by The Nation, Adelowo, a mother of four accused her former boyfriend, Mesan, of abducting her eight-year-old daughter, Irebami, and relocating her to Togo.
Adebisi, also disclosed that Mesan was not Irebami’s biological father.
According to the woman, Mesan, who lives in Isheri-Olofin area of Alimosho Local Government, allegedly tricked her into releasing her daughter to him with a promise to help her enrol the girl in school.
She claimed that her daughter’s father was one Toyin Awolere, a spare parts dealer at Ladipo Market, Mushin, Lagos.
She said that Awolere proposed to her in 2007, and their relationship resulted in pregnancy.
Adebisi said Awolere abandoned her shortly after her mother died of a strange illness.
She said she was introduced to Mesan in the course of searching for a solution to her mother’s mysterious illness.
She added that Mesan took advantage of her crashed marriage to lure her into a relationship, after his marriage to another woman crashed.
Mesan, however, allegedly relocated her daughter to Togo, without her consent.
It was learnt that during his interrogation, Mesan, who earlier told The Nation that he was the father of the girl, admitted not being her father at the station.
It was learnt that Mesan was asked to write an undertaking that he would produce the girl on Monday October 1.
A police source told our reporter that Mesan was asked to produce the girl by Monday, or risk prosecution.
‘’He did not claim to be the father of the girl during interrogation. The girl’s mother was his live –in- lover, but their relationship became frosty and they went their separate ways.
‘’The police have intervened and the man has promised to return the child on Monday.’’
The police in Lagos have arrested an 82-year-old herbalist, Babatunde Rufai, said to be the head of Igunuko Masquerade; Ariyo Elegbede and eight others for alleged complicity in last week’s murder of Sergeant Collins Esiabor.
The policeman was lynched on August 29 by suspected members of Aiye cult group at Ifako-Ijaiye while protesting the death of their colleague.
Others arrested in connection with the killing are: Adewunmi Suleiman, 28; Olorunda Michael, 21; Omoba Idowu, 27; Olarewaju Hammed, 20; Ransom Adewuye, 27; Ayo Adeyanju, 27; Anu Akinola, 24 and Ige Akanbi, 29.
Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said the herbalist allegedly treated a self-inflicted gunshot injury on one of the suspects, who mishandled an AK-47 rifle the mob seized from the slain Sergeant.
The police chief said Elegbede allegedly took part in the lynching of the cop, adding that both men were official native doctors for the cult group and usually treated members’ gunshot wounds without informing the police, as stipulated by law.
Although Elegbede denied the allegation, Edgal said he partook in the treatment of the injured member, said to have fled to Ondo State, and concealed the information from the police.
He said: “On August 29 at Haruna Bus Stop in Ifako-Ijaiye, Ogba, a mob, for no good reason and without any provocation whatsoever, attacked a police team and vandalised a patrol van stationed to provide security in the area, leading to the death of Sergeant Collins Esiabor.
“I promised then that the command would unravel and prosecute those behind the dastardly act. Investigation launched into the incident led to the arrest of 10 suspects.
“The suspects are cultists, as attested to by one of them, Ayo Adeyanju, who conveyed the bocy of their late member to the burial site. On their way, they decided to avenge the death of the deceased on the police patrol team even though it was clear that the police had no physical contact whatsoever with the deceased.
“According to the suspects, the deceased sighted policemen within his vicinity and attempted to scale a fence, believing they were after him. Unfortunately, he put the wrong foot forward and fatally injured himself.
“Meanwhile, Rufai and Elegbede, mentioned as accomplices to the group, were also arrested. Recovered from them are a Dane gun and assorted charms.”
The police chief said the suspects would be charged with murder, adding that efforts were on to arrest other fleeing suspects.
Edgal said: “Those guys confronted the police and seized an AK-47 rifle from the policeman. They did not know how to operate the gun; so, one of them mistakenly shot himself in the foot with the rifle.
“These (pointing at the suspected herbalists) are the babalawo who give them treatment. They are official babalawo for the cult group. So, anytime they have gunshot wounds, they go to them for treatment and these men conceal the information from the police.
“Besides, they live in that neighbourhood and heard what happened to a policeman. Yet, they never told us about a gunshot victim they treated until investigation implicated them.”
A herbalist, Ahmed Ifakunle, was yesterday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates” Court for allegedly obtaining N170,000 from a hotel worker to make him rich and get promoted.
Ifakunle, 36, of Atikori, Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun State, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining under false pretence.
Prosecuting Sergeant Friday Mameh said the defendant committed the offence between March and April.
He said Ifakunle conspired with a suspect, who is on the run, to obtain the money from the complainant, Adeleke Shefiu.
The court heard that the incident occurred on Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos.
It was alleged that the hotel worker usually bought herbs from the defendant. They would speak on the phone and sometimes, the defendant would ask his 85-year-old father to speak to him on phone.
After a while, the octogenarian allegedly persuaded the complainant to visit him in Ijebu-Igbo, so he could pray for him for promotion and wealth.
When the complainant arrived in Ijebu-Igbo in March, he allegedly met the defendant’s father who convinced him to pay the defendant N170,000 to buy the things required for the prayers.
In April, the defendant also allegedly persuaded the complainant to send him N5,000 recharge cards so he could sell them and use the proceeds to treat the octogenarian.
However, the complainant did not notice any improvement in his fortunes the prosecutor said, adding that the defendant and his father stopped picking his calls.
On July 11, the complainant was said to be on his way to work when he saw the defendant and he raised the alarm. Passersby helped him to apprehend the defendant.
The defendant pleaded not guilty.
Magiatrate Y.O. Arolambo granted him N500,000 bail, with two sureties in the like sum.
Six men, including an herbalist, who were alleged to be cult members, were yesterday charged with smashing the heads of a pastor and other family members with a grinding stone at an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court.
Chibuzor Igwe, 19, Omotayo Onamoyegun, 25, Samuel Ameze, 38, Gift Ameze, 35, Uche Igwe, 23, and the herbalist, Fatai Adebayo a.k.a Aleshe, 34 are facing a seven-count charge of conspiracy, murder and stealing.
Chibuzo and his brother, Igwe, however, pleaded guilty to the charge of murder brought against them, while other accused entered a ‘not guilty’ plea.
Magistrate Bola Folarin-Williams remanded them at Ikoyi Prisons pending legal advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
She adjourned the case till March 8.
Mr Emmanuel Eze, a lawyer from the State Criminal and Investigative Intelligence Department, Panti, had asked the court to remand all the accused in prison and asked that the case file be duplicated and sent to the DPP.
He said the accused committed the offences last November 26 at Ofin area and also at 12, Alajo Close, Abule Oshorun, Ibeshe in Ikorodu.
He alleged the accused had broken into the apartment of the deceased, Pastor Victor and used a stone to smash his head while he was asleep.
He told the court that the accused gained entry through the window and made away with his phone valued at N13,000.
The accused also entered the premises of the Yekinis and used a grinding stone to smash the heads of Sakiru, Kehinde and Salad Yekini causing them grievous harm.
Eze said the accused also went away with a DVD player and a T-shirt, all valued at N8, 000 belonging to the family members.
The police in Ogun have arrested a herbalist, Bidemi Idowu, 41, for allegedly having fake currencies in his possession.
The suspect was also accused of being a fraudster.
It was gathered that the suspect duped a 21-year-old of N400,000, after which he fed his victim a herbal concoction that affected his health.
According to police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP), the suspect’s lid was blown by his victim’s father, Basiru Amosun.
Oyeyemi said: “One Basiru Amosun reported at Imeko Divisional headquarters on November 21 that the suspect fraudulently collected N400,000 from his son, Habeeb Amosun, 21.
“He said the suspect collected the money under the pretence that he would prepare a money doubling charm for him. Consequently, he gave a concoction to the victim to drink which made him develop serious stomach disorder.
“Upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ajose Muhammed detailed detectives to arrest the suspect. A search warrant was issued and upon the search, the N400, 000 allegedly collected from the victim was recovered.
“Also recovered were 59 pieces of 1,000 fake CFA, one piece of $50, 600 pieces of fake N1, 0000 notes and assorted charms.
“The Commissioner of Police Ahmed Iliyasu has directed that the suspect be charged to court as soon as investigation was concluded, “He equally appealed to parents to counsel their children against unnecessary quest for quick money.”
A Badagry-based herbalist, Mustapha Sunmola, 58, and his fisherman nephew, Seth Akpot, 40, have been arrested by the police in Lagos for possession of three AK47 rifles, several magazines with live ammunition.
They were arrested on June 20, by operatives of the Inspector General of Police’ (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and Tactical Intelligence Unit (TIU), at Iworo/Ajido in Badagry.
According to the police, they got a tip off the suspects were pirates and had hijacked vessels carrying petroleum products.
The police claimed they were sponsored by Alphonse, a wealthy businessman in Benin Republic, who allegedly bought the guns for them.
But the suspects denied being in Alphonse’s gang, insisting he only gave them the firearms to keep for him in exchange for cash.
Sunmola, who denied preparing charms for pirates and armed robbers, said his nephew brought the guns to his house in May for safekeeping.
The herbalist, who initially denied knowing the bag he was asked to keep contained guns, confessed when his nephew answered otherwise.
Sunmola said: “We are from Badagry. Akpot is my sister’s son. He was the one who brought the gun. He told me it is what they used to work with in the ship. He told me to keep it, saying he and his friends would come back for it.
“The gun was in my house for three weeks before police arrested me. He was the one who brought police to my shrine. I did not collect any money to keep the guns and I am not a member of any gang. I am a herbalist. I inherited the job from my grandfather. I do not do charms for criminals. I only prepare herbs for people looking for babies and those battling ailment.”
Akpot, who said he took delivery of the guns from Alphonse at brick water, said the alleged illegal oil bunkerer and pirate promised to give him money to keep them.
He claimed he knew Alphonse last year, adding that he usually supplied fish to him.
Akpot said: “I knew him through Baba Beji. Baba Beji was my friend and customer. He usually bought fish from me. But when he relocated, he introduced me to Alphonse and I used to supply fish to him.
“He bought fish between N25,000 and N40,000 at least three times a month from me. He is a rich man in Benin Republic. I know he’s into oil bunkering and he used to send Cotonou boats to Lagos anchorage to load products in jerrycans.
“The day he gave me the guns, he told me to meet him in the water. He was in his speedboat and I was in my wooden boat. He told me there were guns and that I should keep them well for him. He said he was going to give me big money but did not tell me the amount.
“He said he wanted to help me because I am a good person. So, I took the guns to my mother’s brother, a herbalist because I didn’t know where to keep them. I am not a pirate. I am not a member of the gang.”
A Badagry based herbalist, Mustapha Sunmola, 58, and his fisherman nephew Seth Akpot, 40, have been arrested by the police in Lagos for being in possession of three AK47 rifles, several magasines loaded with assorted live ammunition.
They were arrested on June 20, by operatives of the Inspector General of Police’ (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and Tactical Intelligence Unit (TIU) at Iworo/Ajido in Badagry.
According to the police, they got a tip off that the suspects were pirates and had hijacked several vessels carrying petroleum products in the high seas.
The police claimed they were being sponsored by a certain Alphonse, a wealthy businessman in Benin Republic, who allegedly bought the guns for them.
But the suspects denied being members of Alphonse’ gang, insisting that he only gave them the firearms to keep for him in exchange for cash gratification.
Sunmola who denied preparing charms for pirates and armed robbers, said his nephew brought the guns to his house in May for safekeeping.
The herbalist, who initially denied knowing the bag he was asked to keep contained guns, confessed when his nephew answered otherwise.
Sunmola said: “We are from Badagry. Akpot is my sister’s son. He was the one who brought the gun. He told me it is what they used to work in the ship. He told me to keep it that his friends and himself would come back for it.
“The gun was in my house for three weeks before police arrested me. He was the one who brought police to my shrine. I did not collect any money to keep the guns and I am not a member of any gang. I am a herbalist. I inherited my job from my grandfather. I do not do charms for criminals. I only prepare herbs for people looking for babies and those battling ailment.”
Akpot, who said he took delivery of the guns from Alphonse at brick water, said that the alleged illegal oil bunkerer and pirate promised to give him an undisclosed amount of money to keep them.
He claimed he knew the said Alphonse last year, adding that he usually supplied fish to him.
Akpot said: “I knew him through Baba Beji. Baba Beji was my friend and customer. He usually bought fish from me. But when he relocated, he introduced me to Alphonse and I used to supply fish to him.
“He bought fish between N25, 000 and N40, 000 at least three times a month from me. He is a rich man in Benin Republic. I know he’s into oil bunkering and he used to send Cotonou boats to Lagos anchorage to load products in jerry cans.
“The day he gave me the guns, he told me to meet him in the water. He was in his speedboat and I was in my own wooden boat. He told me there were guns and that I should keep them well for him. He said he was going to give me big money bit did not tell me the amount.
“He said he wanted to help me because I am a good person. So, I took the guns to my mother’s brother, a herbalist because I didn’t know where to keep them. I am not a pirate. I am not a member of the gang.”
Enugu Police Command has arrested a herbalist, Adekunle Oseni, who allegedly prepared a concoction for the detection and arrest of thieves, which allegedly killed a 30-year-old woman.
Spokesman Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement at the weekend in Enugu, said the incident occurred at Ugbodogwu, Trans Ekulu in the Enugu metropolis, on July 28.
He said the woman, Ukoro Onyinye, a resident of Ugbodogwu Trans Ekulu, took the concoction, which was prepared with a goat heart, to enable her detect and arrest thieves, who had persistently broken into her shop.
“Investigation showed she took herbal concoctions prepared by Oseni.
“From our findings, the deceased met the suspect through a neighbour, Alesinloye Nuru, after she (the deceased) complained of constant raids on her shop.
“On July 2, the deceased contacted the suspect who, after listening to her complaint, prepared a concoction, which would enable her detect and arrest the thieves.
“In the early hours of July 28, she (the deceased) started vomiting and was taken to Colliery Hospital, Enugu where she was confirmed dead,” the statement said.
Amaraizu said the body had been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy, while the suspect was helping the police in their investigation.
