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Tag: herbalist

  • ‘A herbalist impregnated my wife; now my life is ruined’

    I would have picked the other alternative if I had known that my mother’s suggestion would bring calamity to my happy marriage. But as the saying goes, ‘had I known always comes last.’ My marriage was the type every man dreams to have, a union built on love, trust, but it was destroyed because our union was fruitless.

    My mother brought the idea of my wife seeing a herbalist who lived in a village close to ours. My wife and I rejected the idea but we gave in due to her endless pressure from my mother. I could remember that day vividly, the day I accepted the option.

    “Rufus,” my mother called me that evening during our conversation. “It is over thirteen years since you got married and no child to show for it. At first you said you were trying your best, this changed to God knows and from that to God’s time is the best. Don’t you know that heaven helps those who help themselves? All my friends are holding their grandchildren in their arms except me. Do you want me to die without seeing my grandchildren?” Nana, as she was fondly called by all, asked with her hands spread towards heaven as if she was addressing them.

    “Mother, what do you want us to do? Is it not God that gives children and he will give us children at his own time,” I replied.

    “My son, you’re playing with fire and I hope it doesn’t consume you because you’re not getting any younger and the earlier you start looking for your black goat before nightfall, the better for you,” she warned, pulling her left ear.

    “I don’t have any problem going to the place,” said my wife, “but you know your son.”

    “My dear, you can follow me to the place when I’m leaving. Men at times don’t face reality until is too late. Anyway, the place is not as bad as you people think it is. I’m doing this for the sake of the two of you,” she asserted.

    “There is no way I will let my wife see that fetish man just because we want children,” I stressed almost shouting at them. The issue was never discussed until my mother took her leave.

    Naomi continued from where mother stopped and mounted more pressure on me to let her see the herbalist. My home became a living hell for me, I would have said my mother bewitched my wife if not that I knew my mother too well.

    “Honey,” she called me during dinner on a Sunday evening, while holding my hands across the table and said, “Why can’t we try mother’s option and see what happens?”

    “What do you mean by mother’s option?” he asked

    “Don’t you want to have children?” she asked in reply.

    “Am I complaining, and what has come over you? We will surely have children; we will wait as long as it takes.”

    “It’s easy for you to say that because you are not the one receiving all the insult I receive on daily basis due to my inability to give you children,” she complained almost to the point of crying. “Besides, women have limited time for giving birth,” she continued nagging.

    “Please woman, don’t start with your emotional blackmail and let me eat in peace,” I said without taking my face away from the food in front of me.

    Her disturbance became more persistent; in fact, it got to a stage where I did not have peace in my home, which made me allow her travel to the village. My wife took a leave of absence from her office and went to the village. She spent three months and it was not easy for me to cope without her presence in the house because we have never stayed away from each other for that long.

     

    -By Udemma Chukwuma

    To be continued

  • ‎ I am a fraudster, not herbalist – Suspect

    ‎ I am a fraudster, not herbalist – Suspect

    The affected victims were identified as  Immaculate Okechukwu and Mercy Ndenaemi.

    Ologunagba, who is 32 year-old was paraded with 36 suspected criminals arrested for different criminal offences.

    He was apprehended following one of the victims’ complain to the police authority.

    Ologunagba who was arrested in a guise of herbalist, confessed that he is not a herbalist but a professional fraudster.

    He said he was arrested following a call from some people that his work has failed and needed his attention.

    Ologunagba said he had worked for a woman who wanted to have good sales in her business.

    He confessed that he collected four N400, 000 from the woman, saying he duped her under the guise of a herbalist.

    The State Commissioner of Police said Ologunagba collected 640,000 each totaling N1,288,000 from the victims.

    Eke said items recovered from the fraudster included ; the sum of Fifty five thousand naira, two clay pots, one mat, sherds of broken clay pot and 2 pieces of white clothes.

    The police command also announced that they have made arrest of 25 members of different cult group between June and July.

    Other suspects paraded were those of armed robbery, burglary and stealing, kidnapping and car theft.

    The police commissioner however reassured all law abiding citizens of the state of their security and safety.

     

  • Herbalist, accomplice held for ‘robbery’

    Herbalist, accomplice held for ‘robbery’

    A 22-year-old man, who allegedly prepares charms for smugglers, robbers and fraudsters, among others, has been arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Lagos.

    Jimoh Akeem (a.k.a Bulletproof) was arrested along with a member of his three-man gang, Akinroko Ogunshina (32). The third member, Sunday David, is at large.

    Jimoh, it was learnt swindles his clients by lying to them that he could give them bulletproof charms for which he charges them between N50,000 and N100,000.

    Besides, the victim would also provide live goats, bags of rice, cartons of beer, crates of mineral, kegs of palm wine and kola nuts, for preparation of the charms.

    According to a source, there is a great ceremony on the day Akeem prepares the charm amid drinking, eating and dancing. The client wears the charm and as he is dancing, Akeem would fire a gun loaded with only gun powder without pellets at him. The client, it was learnt, would believe that the charm prevented the bullet from penetrating him.

    The client is expected to renew the charm with N25,000 cash and a goat. Akeem, Ogunshina and David work together to hoodwink the client.

    Akeem is said to have duped many by claiming to cure all illnesses including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, epilepsy, barrenness and impotence.

    A source said it is Ogunshina’s duty to locate where the gang can operate at night and collect handsets, laptops, gold chains, money and other valuables; David leads every operation armed with locally made short guns.

    SARS got Ogunshina in his Osogbo, Osun State hideout.

    He led the police to Akeem’s house.

    Akeem said: “I am married with two children. I built a bungalow at Iwo, Osun State with the money I got from making fake bulletproof charms for my victims. I fire them with gun that contains only gun powder without pellets. I also cure all diseases to get enough money. I have a harmless snake. I met Ogunshina when I came back from prison. I have two state-of-the-art cars – Murano and KIA Ultima. I also double dollars for traders and smugglers, but they were fake dollars. I bought the Murano Jeep for N730,000 in 2014 and KIA car for N180,000 from Mangoro area of Lagos. The owner said his enemies put salt in the engine of the KIA motor and sold it to me.”

    Ogunshina said: “I am from Ilobu in Osun State. I live in the Poultry area of Ikorodu. I am a tractor/forklift mechanic. I worked with Supering Engineering Company from 1998 to 2000 as casual worker. I was paid between N700 and N800 daily with N100 overtime. I left the company because the owners are Chinese people. They made workers to work like donkeys and no provision for industrial accident insurance, even if machine cuts one’s hand or head, no compensation.”

    The command’s spokesperson, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said efforts were on to arrest David.

     

  • Herbalist, two others arrested in Anambra for alleged kidnap

    The Anambra State Directorate of the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested three suspects for the kidnap of Charles Onyido, who is from Ogbunike in Oyi Local Government Area and an Onitsha  lawyer, Ejike Efobi, at Nkpor, in Idemili North Local Government Area on June 5.

    The suspects include 68-year-old Ajana Onyibor from Igbakwu in Ayamelum Local Government Area. He was said to have a shrine opposite the room where Onyido was kept for three days.

    DSS Director Alex Okeiyi addressed reporters yesterday in Awka, the state capital, when he paraded the suspects.

    He alleged that the suspects demanded a N100 million ransom from Onyido’s family.

    The DSS director said the herbalist was believed to have provided spiritual protection to members of the gang.

    He said the herbalist was arrested with the help of Oyi vigilance group and Nteje Police Station in Oyi Local Government Area.

    The other suspects are: the ring leader, 25-year-old Chukwuebuka Okafor (aka Ichafu or head scarf), from Uruezealor in Ogidi village and 24-year-old Ernest Elem (aka Lamborghini), from Nkanu Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The suspects were reportedly arrested yesterday in their hideout at Ogbunike.

    A pump action gun and 25 live rounds of cartridges, allegedly used for the kidnap, were recovered from them.

    But Okeiyi said investigation was ongoing.

    He warned criminals to desist from their nafarious activities, adding that they would be caught one day, if they do not repent.

    Okeiyi said: “Kidnapping is now rare in Anambra State. The command appreciates ongoing efforts by the state government under Governor Willie Obiano and sister security agencies to rid the state of criminality.

    “We will continue to contribute our quota in this regard until this state is free from crimes.”

    Onyido, who was abducted four days ago, hailed the DSS for his rescue.

    He said the suspects told him that somebody paid N20 million for him to be killed.

    The kidnap victim said his assailants closed his shop and blindfolded him on the way to their hideout.

    Onyido said: “They covered my eyes, used machetes, gun butts and other dangerous weapons to beat me. They slapped me at will. I did not eat for three days. I also fainted three times. They equally removed one of my teeth. I saw hell on earth.”

    Ichafu and Lamborghini did not deny kidnapping Onyido.

  • Herbalist in police net for ‘robbery’

    Herbalist in police net for ‘robbery’

    •Nine others too

    A herbalist and nine others believed to be members of a robbery gang have been arrested by the police.

    They were arrested after allegedly robbing residents of Ngwa Road in Aba and killing three people.

    A source said the suspects attacked residents of 38, Mbaitolu Street on Osunkwo axis, Obohia and 9, NEPA Street, off Ngwa Road, on the outskirts of Aba and injured them. A two-year-old child was reportedly hit in the leg by a stray bullet.

    The source said the injured were hospitalised.

    A resident, who preferred anonymity, said the suspected robbers, discovering that a member of their gang was attacked, stormed the house and fired shots.

    It was learnt that the suspected robbers killed a male tenant in his 30s. He was said to have been hit in the neck by stray bullets.

    The source said: “A woman was shot in the thigh. Another woman, the mother of a two-year-old baby, was shot in the leg and hand. The robbers stole belongings and money.

    “Eight persons were hospitalised after the attack, and three died.”

    It was gathered that a police manhunt for the suspects paid off, as the men led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Crescent Mamah arrested the suspects at a location in Aba.

    The Nation learnt that those arrested assisted the police, leading to the arrest last weekend of other members of the gang, including the herbalist.

    Police Commissioner Ibrahim Adamu confirmed the arrest.

    He said they would be charged to court after investigation.

  • Let them subject their methods to scientific proof

    Let them subject their methods to scientific proof

    WHAT are the causes of mental disorder?

    Factors leading to mental disorder are many. Some are genetic and can be passed from one family member to another, especially the major psychiatric disorder. We also have some biological factors, especially in pregnant women, through difficult delivery; the child may have brain disorder when growing up. Any lifestyle that can cause disorder or assault to the brain is biological.

    There are social and psychological issues. We live in an environment where we lack most social amenities; we spend hours in the traffic and return home to darkness. If you live that kind of life constantly, it will have bearing on the workings of your mind. But if you change that environment, you can see the difference when your life changes. Mental disorder can come as a result of all these factors.

    Is there an orthodox cure for mental disorder?

    It depends on the condition. There are different types of mental disorder. A patient may have generic mental disorder; grow up in a dysfunctional family with no support. Another patient may have a psychological disorder, maybe he didn’t get job on time and the two are in the peak of their mental disorder, their symptoms may appear similar but the causative factors are different and one will respond to treatment faster than the other. If the psychological case has a change of circumstances, he may not need to undergo treatment again, he will be well enough to be totally free, while the generic type may need to continue to take his drugs.

    So generic mental disorders take much longer time to cure?

    It makes the illness more severe. It depends on severity. Someone can be laughing at a patient who has mental disorder but if you look at him well, he may be having mental disorder. If you have sleep disorder and you have to be induced to sleep for more than two weeks, it is mental disorder. If you tell the thousands of people with that problem that they have mental disorder, they will deny. If I tell you the people we have managed-pastors, politicians, professionals, celebrities who have suffered mental disorder at some point and they are okay now. The people who have severe conditions are less than 10 percent of mental disorder patients.

    Can the diabolical be responsible for mental disorder?

    Some people believe that the cause is strictly spiritual like the step mum is responsible for the illness. What about the climes where they don’t practise polygamy, mental illness cuts across every race, gender, social economic group even in climes where they don’t believe in diabolical things? Let us not sweep everything under the banner of spiritual attack.

    Are you saying mental disorder cannot be caused by supernatural or diabolical means?

    Why do you have to single out mental disorder? What makes it so unique? Why not hypertension or diabetics?

    Because we can explain hypertension to some extent or even expect it…

    Does it mean what you cannot explain in our own realm must be supernatural?

    So are you saying it is not possible for spiritual forces to be responsible for mental disorder?

    You don’t rubbish people’s belief like that. Let’s look at it this way: some people believe whatever happens to you is the will of God, but does that excuse irresponsible behaviour and its consequences? We take everything that happens only on its spiritual face value; in the climes where things work, we see there is less emphasis on the spiritual.

    So the cause of mental disorder should not be seen only through the spiritual. We see the importance of knowledge, the rate of child mortality has reduced in the last 30 years because of immunisation, and sicknesses that were ascribed to demons in the past are now eradicated. Real knowledge brings fact and it is dependable.

    What is wrong with the traditional herbal treatment of mental disorder?

    We are not saying all our herbal drugs or traditional things are horrible. After all, the drugs we use are synthetic, taken from herbs and roots, but when you keep your methods close to your chest, how can we verify the truth in it? We have patients that were brought from herbalists because the man was just giving orthodox drugs to the patient.

    There was a herbalist who was using urine therapy and the patient ran back to the hospital. This is the problem we have with our people. If you are a herbalist, subject your methods to scientific experiment. If I prescribe a drug, it is open, the patients know the name and they can find out about it. But if you cannot show your methods openly, there is something fishy there.

    All these people claiming to have the cure for mental disorder, I am not rubbishing them, but let them come together; let them refine it in a scientific way. If someone is making claims of curing mental disorder, look for patients who are roaming about naked, pack 20 of them, your organisation can do it as corporate social responsibility, give the patients to the herbalist, let him treat them for one year and let’s see how many of them have been totally cured. Then we can now say scientifically, that this man truly has a cure for mental disorder and his methods can be reproduced. We are not competing with the herbalists at all.

    If they do that, they will lose their herbal secrets and how will they make money?

    Then it means he is selfish. The company that produces the drugs we are using is making money; they should come together and patent their drugs. They will make their money and the world will know it is this person that has invented this drug. It’s not difficult, it must be evidence-based.

    One herbalist said orthodox medicine only suppresses the disorder and does not cure it.

    Here, we don’t just treat, we also manage them. There are psychologists and occupational therapists that would ensure that the patient is not exposed to the conditions that caused the initial mental disorder. We train them in handcrafts.

    I have patients who have gone to become authors and those who are business people. They are doing well. Are you saying they are not totally cured? I have many high flying patients in all professions who have returned to their businesses and doing well, as long as they are still taking their medications.

    Is there an end to the taking of drugs?

    For some of them yes, just like a hypertensive patient still needs to take his medication. But for other cases like social or psychological mental disorder, such an individual may not need to take medications and you won’t know. As you are sitting there, I don’t know if you are taking medications, it’s not written on the face. The person sitting beside you may be a patient. So the duration varies just as the disorder varies.

    What will be your advice to those who may have cases like this? Come to hospital or herbalist?

    Take the patient to the hospital immediately. Don’t present late. When people have mental disorder, they should present it on time, many people shop around and hospitals are the last resort. That should not be so. When we have a problem, don’t let us be myopic and narrow our solution to spiritualism; look beyond that and ask yourself questions. You can pray and take action, but it is not a sin to come to the hospital.