Posted by By JULIANA FRANCIS on
It was a sad day for a clearing and forwarding agent, Victor Echendu, accused of defrauding his boss, Sydney Duru of N25 million, as he was caught Sunday last week in front of the latter's house in Lagos at about 1a.m with a pot of rituals meant to wipe out the family of five.
It was a sad day for a clearing and forwarding agent, Victor Echendu, accused of defrauding his boss, Sydney Duru of N25 million, as he was caught Sunday last week in front of the latter's house in Lagos at about 1a.m with a pot of rituals meant to wipe out the family of five.
Daily Sun gathered that Echendu, now a guest of the Area ‘E' Police Command, Festac town, had through the assistance of his friend, Sunday Francis contracted a herbalist in Cross River State to prepare a charm to eliminate his boss, the wife and their three kids over a business deal that went sour.
Unfortunately for Echendu, Sunday had been giving Duru a bit by bit account of moves to eliminate him.
Echendu crawled through the haze of the wee hours to drop the prepared charm in a calabash in front of Duru's house with the instruction to shout the man's name seven times before stepping on the pot of rituals seven times.
Just as he raised the evil pot up and screamed "Sydney Duru, Sydney Duru," armed mobile policemen who had laid ambush following a tip-off swooped on him, while a camera was also used to record his activities.
Defending his action, Echendu told detectives from the Area ‘E' police command that he never meant to harm Duru but wanted to use the charm to get some money from him.
His claim was, however, trashed by Duru who told Daily Sun that Echendu used a powerful native doctor in Cross River, who gave him the charms to wipe out his family. The knot was tightened around Echendu when detectives confronted him with a picture of Duru's family found in his possession.
But Echendu denied trying to kill his former boss or children, claiming that it was his best friend, Sunday Francis who convinced him to take the calabash that deadly hour of the night to Duru's house.
According to him, "I don't know what is wrong with me! I am confused. It was Sunday that set me up. He called me up to hundred times that day reminding me to make sure I carry the charm to Duru's place. I wish my wife had not travelled. I wouldn't have left home at that hour of the night. It was Sunday that told me to call the name seven times and rub my foot repeatedly on the ground. He said by Tuesday, my boss will call and give me the money I had asked for."
But Sunday looking very relaxed in police custody denied the allegation. He admitted taking Echendu to his village in Cross River to procure the charm from a native doctor but denied setting him up. According to him, all he wanted was the best for Echendu.
He said he had nothing to gain from Duru or Echendu but only wanted them to settle their differences.
His words: "The charm was prepared with fowl bile. I told Victor that his master had called me. I told him that the man said if there would be any settlement, he wished to see me face-to-face. I didn't know that after telling Victor that the man had called me that he would still carry the calabash to the place."
Speaking to Daily Sun at his home in Festac where the incident happened, Duru said he knew the charm was to eliminate his family, adding that he didn't deserve such treatment from Echendu who had benefitted so much from him, including a gift of two cars during his wedding.
According to him, trouble started when Echendu started his own business and he advised him to buy a truck to run the business.
"I later gave him a truck, to return later after he might have bought his. He bought his own but refused to return mine or pay me for it. When I started demanding for it, he threatened me," Duru stated.
After all efforts to settle their rift failed, Duru said he has been receiving series of calls from anonymous persons, telling him to be careful in the evening of Saturday, June 10, "I saw strange faces loitering around my gate. I alerted the police. We all laid ambush, at about 1a.m, we saw a shadow coming towards my gate. It turned out to be my boy Victor again. He even had my children's picture. He claimed someone led him astray. I'll go to church and give thanks to God."
Echendu who looked remorseful in custody explained that when Duru gave him the truck, he had to fix all the tyres which he claimed cost him a lot of money.
He said he would have paid off Duru as agreed but "I have spent money on my stepson's birthday and my brother's wedding. Duru dragged the case until we got to Abuja. I spent over N3 million on the case. At a point I had to sell my cars because I became broke. I made up my mind that before I give him the truck back, he would have to pay me at least part of what I had spent, like N3 million, but he refused I had given up hope until Sunday told me about the charm."
He revealed that when he first went for the charms, mysterious things started happening to him. He said his business nose-dived, his daughter died and he started having attacks in his dreams.
Meanwhile, police have concluded investigations and may charge the suspects to court any moment.