Hide your underwear, Police warn girls

By Dayo Johnson,

“MY younger brother had always wanted to have money by all means, even through rituals. He is my own younger brother and had always been in haste to have money through any means, but I thank God that he was exposed. He stole my wife’s underwear, and wanted to use it for ritual so that he will have money than me.” 

These were the words of Benjamin Ojonugwa, elder brother of a 25-year-old panel beater, Adejoh Ojonugwa, who was paraded by the Ondo State Police Command together with Prophet Olajide Ogunleye, also known as Kokoro-Ayo, of the Celestial Church of Christ, Ibanujemidopin Parish, Uso in Owo Council area of the state for allegedly stealing five pants and underwear belonging to his younger sister and Benjamin’s wife.

The craze to get rich and live big had reportedly pushed Adejoh, from Kogi State, to approach the prophet for money ritual.

The main suspect said that after he approached Ogunleye with his request, he was asked to go and look for pants and ladies underwear.

“l was given a concoction by the prophet and, from that point, l could not remember what l was doing until l was arrested by police detectives”, he said.

“l regained my memory after four days when l remembered visiting the prophet for assistance to get rich.

“I had visited the prophet to pray for me because of my work and how to get rich. After checking my palm, he told me there were ways out but asked me to swallow some concoction and prayed for me but asked me to look for ladies pants and underwear.

“But when I got home I didn’t know what I was doing again and l started looking for pants and underwear. I found three of my sister’s pants and l went to my brother’s house where l took two of my sister-in-law’s pants.

“Hours later, my sister-in-law raised the alarm that her underwear were missing and I was arrested and taken to the police station.

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“Two of the pants belong to my sister-in-law and the three others belong to my younger sister.

“When the police arrested me, I was taken to Uso Police Station before they transferred me here (Akure)”.

One of the owners of the pants, Grace Ojonugwa, said her brother-in-law stole the underwear from where she spread it to dry in the house.

“It was my husband’s younger brother who stole the pants. He was actually trailing me to spread them”,

Grace said.

“I met my brother-in-law inside our room. He had already packed two of my pants inside his travelling bag. l had spread the two pants on the line inside our room. Three other pants that did not belong to me were also seen inside the bag he was carrying”.

Denial

Meanwhile, Prophet Ogunleye denied either hypnotising the co-suspect or asking him to bring ladies pants for money ritual.

Ogunleye said he was only being implicated by the co-suspect.

“I am a true man of God and I have never seen Adejoh in my life. He is lying against me. The truth of the matter is that they came to me for a parcel of land and I refused to give them.

“I never asked him to bring any underwear for ritual. They feel it is an opportunity to implicate me in this crime since I had refused to give them the land to cultivate Indian hemp.

“I engage in spiritual cleansing for people, mostly pregnant women who have difficulties so they can give birth early and easily. I don’t engage in rituals as it is against the belief of our church. The allegation is pure lie against me.

“l don’t know the boy from Adams and l am surprised about the allegation against me. I am a prophet. l pray for people. l use morning dew and lime to heal diseases but l know nothing about money rituals”.

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Looking for clues

Ondo State Police Command spokesperson, Femi Joseph, told Sunday Vanguard that the suspects were apprehended after a complaint was lodged by one of the victims – Grace Ojonugwa.

Joseph said, “The main suspect claimed to have lost his senses after taking a concoction from the prophet and started looking for ladies underwear

“He said he had gone to the spiritualist who is a member of the Celestial Church to pray for posterity.

“He now said that the man prayed for him and gave him an ointment to take and as soon as he swallowed the concoction, he lost his senses and began to pick ladies pants.

“He had already picked some in Uso, their village, according to him. And he came to Akure again to pick those of his brother’s wife.

“We are baffled and shocked to discover that during the time he lost his senses, the next thing for him to do was to begin to pick women underwear. We think the story is too good to be true. That is why we are engaging him.

“We will further dig into the matter to know what he actually wanted to do with the ladies pants. Once we know what he wanted to do, he will face the consequences.

“We don’t want such a thing to happen in our state. And we are using this opportunity to enjoin our ladies and our women to keep very well whatever they put on, whether underwear or dresses.

“We also plead with parents to ensure that their daughters keep their underwear very carefully. “We are using this opportunity to enjoin our ladies and women that this is a very dangerous phenomenon. We have to keep well whatever we are putting on.

“I also advise parents to warn their children, particularly females, to be very careful about where they keep their underwear.”

The two suspects, according to Joseph, will be arraigned in court after police investigations.

Sergeant’s wife, brother-in-law allegedly torture son to death

Meanwhile, detectives from the police command have arrested the wife of a police sergeant, Mrs Ajoke Adedayo, and her brother-in-law, Idowu Adebayo, for allegedly torturing their 14-year-old son, Mathew Adebayo, to death for stealing.

The deceased, a JSS3 student, was alleged to have withdrawn N21, 000 from his mother’s bank account without her knowledge.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the mother reported the matter to the husband who is serving in Delta State Police Command and he directed that his younger brother should discipline the son.

The mother and the uncle reportedly used mopping stick, cable wire and horse whip to beat the boy until he became unconscious and later died when he was rushed to hospital by neighbours after he was abandoned at home by the suspects.