Posted by By OLUWATOYOSI OGUNSEYE on
The long arm of the law has finally caught up with a fake herbalist in Ogun State, who fleeced his victims of foreign currencies.
* He hoodwinked his victim and duped him of $232,000
The long arm of the law has finally caught up with a fake herbalist in Ogun State, who fleeced his victims of foreign currencies.
Adetunji Tanimowo, 28, lived the life of a rich man from the hard-earned money of people who fell prey to his antics.
He, however, met his waterloo when the scale fell off the eyes of one of his victims, who he allegedly duped of $232,000 and N773,000.
The path of the unlucky complainant (names withheld) and that of the herbalist crossed when the former was searching for the cure to a body odour plaguing his niece.
Along the line, Tanimowo convinced him that he could make him more prosperous. He fell for the suspect's ploy and coughed out large sums of money at various intervals.
When he could no longer source for money to meet the herbalist's demand, the victim confided in his lawyer, who raised an alarm. A petition was sent to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and a trap was set for Tanimowo.
Narrating his ordeal, the victim claimed that he met the suspect in his office on Victoria Island, Lagos. He said: 'My niece, who lives with me has this terrible body odour, that has defied all orthodox cures, ranging from expensive toiletries to fragrances and perfumes. I met one Adetunji, an itinerant herb seller (Alagbo) who claimed his father produces the concoctions he hawks and could readily procure some herbs to cure my niece's body odour. Not knowing that Tunji was out to lure people into a scam, I became a willing prey as I worked into the deep ditch like flies in a dope.
'Tunji took me, my wife and the niece to Ijebu-Igbo to meet his supposed father and was given an appointment for another day." Before the appointed day, Tanimowo and his gang had perfected a fast game on the suspect. After a deposit of N10,000, he got a soap and an ointment for his niece which left a sour taste in his mouth.
Sensing that he had a prey in the victim, the suspect told him that he had been under witchcraft attack which had hindered his progress in the office, adding that deliverance would only come if he could be ready for general cleansing (rituals) that will include his children.
With series of manipulated prayer, the victim drank a concoction which allegedly made him to be out of his senses, 'It was at this stage that I started acceding to their monetary demands unquestioned, I started borrowing from my customers, telling them that I needed the money to acquire some plots of land.
'Each time the herbalist and his cohorts ask me to bring dollars, I believe they follow me around with some kind of force that makes the people I approached for money to oblige me without questioning.
'When it was obvious that I could no longer source for more dollars, someone called my phone telling me to promise him a building and that he would deliver me from the herbalist who had been fleecing me. It was at that point that I realised that I had been duped. Perhaps, the scale would have fallen off earlier if I had told my wife. I was seriously warned not to tell anyone unless I was ready to die.
'I wish it was all a nightmare but it was real. I had since last October piled up a huge debt of $232,000 and N773,000 which I borrowed from friends and customers as demanded by the men-in-shrine. I also sold all my equities in the stock market," he said.
Back to his senses, he recounted his ordeal to a lawyer who encouraged him to report the matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), shunning the death threat placed on his head.
After a painstaking surveillance, the operatives of EFCC got the alleged herbalist arrested. On interrogation, he confirmed taking money from the victim.
He, however, said all he took were just N775,000 and $7,000 which were his charges for the services rendered. He said, he was actually contacted for the cure of body odour and soap for promotion, blessings and good fortune in his victim's office.