Joy Anyim
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 37-year-old Beninese herbalist, Gbese Peter, for allegedly defrauding a couple seeking spiritual help for their children, of N5 million.
It was gathered that Peter had approached the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Bamigboye Alao, in 2015, and had told them they needed to act fast to wade-off the spirit of untimely death from their children.
Peter told the panicked couple they had to travel with him to Republic of Benin, for a spiritual exercise that would protect them and their children from danger, which they obliged.
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According to the Ogun Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi, who issued a statement on the arrest of the suspect, on Monday, Peter gave the victims a wooden coffin, which he asked them not to open until he instructed otherwise.
Oyeyemi said Mrs. Alao, who reported the matter to the Sabo Police Division, told operatives that Peter extorted them on separate occasions to the tune of N5 million.
The PPRO said: “The woman claimed her husband died of shock, after they discovered Peter was a fraudster.
“The Sabo Divisional Police Officer, Nicholas Tamunoinom, a Superintendent of Police, had on receiving the complaint, detailed his detectives to go after the suspect and with the help of members of public, they succeeded in arresting him on July 25.
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“On interrogation, the suspect confessed collecting money under false pretence from the couple but he claimed that he only duped them of N3.5 million and not N5milion as claimed by the woman. He said he used the money to build a house for himself.
“Recovered from the suspect were a wooden coffin containing white cloth and other substance, horn wrapped with white cloth and beads. ”
The Ogun Police Spokesman said that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID), for proper investigation and diligent prosecution.
