An 88-year-old woman, Tawakalitu Ilumooka, told a Ikeja Special Crimes Court how a herdsman, Ayodeji Olorunfemi, allegedly swindled her out of N36.5 million.
Ms. Ilumooka testified that the herdsman took her to a river goddess (Olookun) for counterfeit hard currency.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that Mr. Olorunfemi is being tried on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretenses and theft.
He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On Thursday, Ms Ilumooka, brought as a witness by EFCC lawyer Ahmed Yerima, said the pastor took her to Olookun on the pretext that the river goddess had blessed her with a box containing dollars and pounds sterling. .
The octogenarian testified that the defendant told her that the 36.5 million naira would be used for spiritual cleansing before the coins could be spent.
Ms. Ilumooka, a former businesswoman from Lagos Island, told the court that she gave birth to nine children and was introduced to the accused by one of her daughters, Kuburat, and her friend.
“We have not been in this matter for seven years.
“Otunba has a big church and prays for the people; So I got on the phone with him and told him that I wanted to sell some land in Orile Agege and that he would help me pray about it.
“He instructed me to prepare a large bowl of semo with assorted meat and give it to a madman, which I did and then sold the land for 100 million naira after he prayed for me.
“I told him to send the details of his account where I transferred N100,000 as a way of thanking him,” he said.
a sick son
The witness further told the court that her 64-year-old son called her later from the United States and told her that he was sick and confined to a wheelchair.
She said that she phoned the defendant to pray for her sick son, but he told her that she had to travel to Ondo State before her son could be cured.
“I told her that Ondo is far away that I couldn’t go because I’m old, but Otunba insisted that it’s the only place they could take care of my sick son, and I said, ‘It’s fine.’
“He told me that a Fakunle Fabunmi and another person, whose name I don’t remember, would call me.
“I was on the bus when they started calling me and when I got to Ondo state, they took me to Ondo city,” he said.
The witness said that she did not suspect any crime because the two men came with an expensive car and the defendant knew them.
She told the court that she was taken to a big house in a bush and then taken to a room filled with water, adding that a woman, Olookun (goddess of the river) came out of the water and promised to give her money, but she refused. . .
“When I entered the room full of water, a woman came out of the water and they told me that she was Olookun (goddess of the river) and told me to look down to avoid looking at her face.
“They were the ones who interpreted what Olookun was saying because I couldn’t hear her, and they said that Olookun wanted to give me money but I told them I didn’t need money. I came for the health of my son.
“They took me to another room filled with a lot of people who were masked in white clothes. My parents’ names were mentioned to me and I was terrified.
“They gave me a pumpkin when I went out and instructed me to take it home so that my son could recover from the illness.”
According to the witness, the men took her back to Lagos and warned her that her house would be burned to the ground if she did not return the gourd within seven days.
“I was scared; that made me return the gourd to Ondo City,” he said.
The witness said that she met the defendant with the other two men when they returned the gourd to Ondo City and they pulled out a chest flowing with strong coins, from the ceiling of a room.
”Dollars and pounds sterling flowed into the port mantle from the ceiling of the room, and they asked me if I wanted money, but I said, ‘No.’
“They said that Olookun wanted to give me money, but I told them that I did not come for money.
“They ripped my clothes off and I was naked and they started ripping my nudity apart when I refused to wear the port cloak full of dollars and pounds sterling.
“The defendant looked at me and said, ‘You didn’t know what you came here to do.’
“I replied that I was there for my son. I told them I wanted to poop, but they told me I had to poop into a big hole they dug in the room.”
She told the court that she cried out to God afterwards.
“They said I should take the money and they would follow me home.
“They took the port cloak inside a jeep and took me to Lagos from Ondo.
“Fakunle tore off a leaf and dropped it on the port side mantle and said a few words to it so that no police would stop them on the way.”
The octogenarian told the court that the men took the money to her house and put it under her bed.
“They warned me not to tell anyone,” he added.
the payments
The witness further told the court that the defendant and the two men monitored her and then sent her account details in which she paid N36.5 million.
“The first one I paid was N5 million, the second N11 million, and then they charged N10 million.
“The total money that I was charged is N36.5 million.
“They said they would give me something like a stick with snails to remove the mantle from the port.
“My lord, I am 88 years old. Despite all my struggles not to lose my son and the money they raised for me, my son died of the disease in February at the age of 64.”
The witness testified that she reported the case to the EFCC.
“Otunba was arrested and N1.8 million was recovered from his account. EFCC withdrew the money and gave it to me and took the mantle of the port”, said the witness.
NAN reports that the witness burst into tears and her statement dated March 16, 2018 and July 2018 with an obituary of her son were admitted into evidence.
During the cross-examination of the defense attorney, Bamidele Olayemi, the witness said that she had been interacting with the accused by phone from the moment her daughter and her friend connected her with him.
“He also said that he did not see the defendant in person prior to the time they met at Ondo.
NAN reports that the EFCC alleged that the defendant and six others still at large fraudulently obtained the sum of N36 million from the octogenarian.
The alleged offenses contravene Sections 1(1)(a) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses, 2006, and Sections 287 (1) (2) and 285 (1) of the Lagos Criminal Laws. State, 2011.
The judge, Mojisola Dada, adjourned the case until September 30 for the continuation of the trial. (YAYA)
