Posted on 05/26/2014 12:49:21 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Nigeria: Devil Made Me Join 419 Syndicate, Says Herbalist BY ANDREW UTULU, 23 MAY 2014 RELATED TOPICS Nigeria Nigeria: Gunmen Kill 45 in Borno, Adamawa Legal Affairs South Africa: Malema Admits to Neglecting Tax ADS BY GOOGLE
Sanmi Afeni, 42 , is an indigene of Igede-Ekiti in Ekiti State. He is married with three children.
According to him, he is a trusted and registered herbalist who was lured into 419 activities by the devil.
The herbalist turned 419- syndicate was arrested last week by the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, led by Abba Kyari, a Superintendent of Police. Police claimed that he and his fellow suspects operate a group that had duped many Nigerians up to the tune of N20million.
He was said to own a house at a bush where he and his gang use for ritual and 419 activities in Badagry. It was gathered that members of Ijotun community in Badagry area of Lagos where they carry out their nefarious activities alerted the police and that led to his arrest.
He confessed that he is a member of a five- man gang and gave the names of other members as Ojo Kolawole, Bidemi Omiji, Lekan Olalusi and Kayode whose surname he could not recall. "We operate in Ijotun. But I live at Oko-Afon in Badagry.
"If they bring people with challenges, I do charge them a fee for my spiritual work. If the job will cost N10, 000, I will charge between N20, 000 and N30, 000. The estate agent we collected N1.2 million from sought spiritual assistance to enable him get contract. I charged him N180, 000.
"I am a native doctor. Sam Pafic West Africa Limited is the name of the company I registered. I operate it as traditional medicine home. I learnt the work from my uncle. It is devil that made me teamed up with the 419 syndicate. We had duped up to six people.
"I collected N350,000 from the first job. I made N450,000, N1.2 N2 million from subsequent ones. The last one involved a couple, seeking fruit of the womb. The fifth job I did involved an epileptic man. We did not collect money initially but when the man was healed, he gave me N500, 000. We made N520, 000 from another job after that.
"It took me eight years to build a house. I did the foundation in 2004.I was in my house when I received a call from a person I knew and he told me he was bringing a client. I spoke with the client who told me that he had goods to clear on a Friday. But I told him, I was travelling, that except they come on Thursday. I was already on my way but I was forced to cut shot the journey.
"The client told me that he had withdrawn money he wanted to pay me from the bank. I told him I was on my way back. So around 11am he was with me and requested to speak with the oracle. He deposited N1000. He said he wanted his business to boom after losing N2 million to a failed adventure."
"I later took him round and the three fake spirits appeared and charged him N16, 000. Ojo, Lekan and Kayode posed as spirits. Eventually when police raided our hide out, Kayode escaped. That was how I was arrested."
So many questions. What’s a 419? And what is a registered herbalist doing turning 419?
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