A citizen, Tawakalitu Afolake Ilumoka has narrated how she was fleeced of N36million over ‘dollar gift from Osun goddess’ while seeking son’s healing.

The 88-year-old prosecution witness said she was duped by Olorunfemi Ayodeji, who claimed to be a priest.

Ilumoka appeared before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday.

Ayodeji is facing a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence.

His act contravened Sections 1 (1)(a) and 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act No. 14 of 2006, and stealing, contrary to Section 278 (1), (2) and 285 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The defendant, arraigned on February 24, 2022 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), pleaded “not guilty”.

Ayodeji has aliases including Otunba, Baba Ifakunle, Ifabunmi, Ifakunle, Moses Alade, Ganiyu Hakeem and Idokan Taye.

In the charge, he and others (all at large), between 2015 and 2016 in Lagos, allegedly conspired to fraudulently obtain N36,000,000 from Ilumoka.

The victim said she was given a calabash containing unknown concoction which Ayodeji and others deceived her to drink and bathe with.

This was on the pretext that the Osun goddess (Yeye Osun) “had blessed her with a box containing US Dollars and that N36,000,000 would be used for spiritual cleansing”.

Ilumoka, led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ahmed Yerima, told the court that she knew the defendant through her daughter, Kuburat.

“I told him I wanted to sell a piece of land. He then told me that he owned a church and that he would pray over it.

“He told me to prepare a bowl of “Semo”, with enough soup and several pieces of meat, which I should give as an offering to a mad man.”

Ilumoka gave the offering and later sold the land situated at Orile-Agege, Lagos, for N100million and gave Otunba N100,000 as a gift.

After a month, her son, then living in the United States of America, called to inform that he was sick and confined to a wheelchair.

Ilumoka called Otunba who insisted the son be taken to Ondo State for treatment. He also linked her with a duo, Fakunle and Fabummi.

While travelling to Ondo, they picked the witness at a location and eventually took her to a thick bush, where there was a fenced house.

“They then led me to a room in the house, filled with a pool of water. A woman came out of the water and they told me she was “Olokun (river goddess.)

“They said “Olokun” wanted to give me money, but I declined, insisting that all I wanted was for my son to recover from the illness.

“I couldn’t comprehend all that “Olokun”was saying, they were the ones interpreting her words to me. They later took me to another room and all entered.”

Ilumoka, formerly a trader at Oke-Arin Market, Lagos Island, recalled that when she came out of the room, they gave her a calabash to take home so her child could recover.

She was ordered to return the calabash within seven days, otherwise her house would be gutted by fire.

“I took the calabash to Ondo, my second time there. Fakunle, Fabummi and Otunba brought out a portmanteau and I could see money, in different currencies, dropping from the roof.

“They asked me to pick the money, but I refused. I told them I didn’t come because of money. When I complained, they stripped me to the pants and took my pictures naked!

“When we got back home, they led me to my room upstairs, kept the portmanteau under my bed and warned me not to mention it to anyone.”

The victim said subsequently, they would call and instruct her to remit different amount of money – N5million, N11million, N10million – into their account until she paid N36million.

Ilumoka, whose 64-year-old son died in February, said she could not tell her daughter-in-law because she had been warned about the defendant and his accomplices.

After Ayodeji’s arrest, the EFCC was able to recover only N1.8million from his account.

The case was adjourned till September 30, 2022 for continuation of trial.