Vanguard (Lagos)
Nigeria: Human Head Costs N5,500, Says Herbalist

Evelyn Usman


A 34-year-old popular herbalist in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, Rasaki Yekini, was last week, paraded alongside some robbery suspects that have been terrorising Ogun state and its environs.

Yekini, who is popularly known as 'Aro', following his proficiency in herbal mixture which has reportedly met the expectations of his clients, was driving in an Opel Saloon car with plate number AK 72 AAA, from Oru, heading for Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, two weeks ago, when along the Ibadan/Ijebu-Ode road, the vehicle was flagged down by a team of Anti-Crime policemen attached to Obalende division who were on stop-and search routine work. Time was 8.30pm.

During the search, a nylon bag neatly tied at the tip was said to have been untied, revealing a human head which was emitting an offensive odour. The startling discovery , led to the arrest of Rasaki who was whisked into the police waiting van to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, for further investigation.

In this interview with Crime Guard, Rasaki discloses his intention of using the head for money ritual, for one of his clients who came all the way from the eastern part of the country.

The herbalist who claims that was his first time of venturing into money ritual making with human skull, states that if he had succeeded, he would not have attempted it again.

Excerpts:

"I am a popular native doctor, a profession I inherited from my late father. My office is located at number 10, Abraham Adesanya Street, Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun state, which also doubles as my residential apartment where my family, comprising two wives and five children all live.

At the initial stage, I backed out of the profession but encountered some problems during which I was told I would only prosper if I went back to traditional healing profession. I am well known as Aro because I treat all sorts of ailment.

"It was in the process of going about my traditional healing profession that one man who identified himself as Stephen, an Igbo trader all the way from Onitsha, approached me saying he was advised to meet me that I would have solution to his problem.

Stephen told me he wanted to get rich and would need charm that would not only enrich him but other members of his family.

I intended to chase him away because I had not done a thing like that before, owing to the magnitude of what is involved . So, I told him it would be difficult but he insisted he would pay any amount, provided he became rich at the end of the day. At that point, I told him it would require a human head and that getting it would be difficult.

I, thereafter, told him his bill would be N20,000 and he made an advance payment of N10,000 with a promise to pay the balance as soon as I was through with the charm.

"The next phase was how to get a human skull. But being a popular native doctor, I approached a motor park tout who I usually give money and he introduced me to one Kehinde who booked Wednesday the 5th day of August as collection day. Kehinde collected the sum of N5,500 for the head.

On the day I was to collect it, I was asked to come to Oru near a bush at night . I cannot tell if that place is a cemetery or not. But after waiting there for a while, he came and handed me a black nylon bag after which we both went our different ways, only for some policemen to stop my vehicle half way, demanding to know the content of the nylon and in the process, discovered the human head."
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Looking sober, he lamented, " See what I have put myself into now. I do not even know where the man that asked me to do the charm lives in Onitsha and even that of the person that sold the human head to me . Now I am left alone to bear the brunt.

I did not even charge him much to make up for this embarrassment and shame this arrest has cost me and my family. People outside there would think I was into something sinister and dubious all this while. I regret my action .

If I had known, I would have followed my instinct. I would not have conceded to the client's plea when I told him I could not do it the first time."

The suspect, according to the command boss, Mr Hashimu Argungu, would soon be arraigned in court.

I hope he meant the head of a Yoruba person? Cheap humans

I talk am say Igbos learnt the art of jujumaking from the SW. According to the western jujuman, the human head was meant for juju making for somebody from the eastern part. Hahahah!

I'm disappointed, where are the pictures?

The man is a bloody liar. Onitsha man ko, tolotolo man ni! He is a ritualist. But I am surprised that he intended making another rich when he is obviously a poor man. Fake juju man

hmmm looks like tribalist in here

Afukwu,

You should be decrying what the man did and not his ethnicity. Its obvious you are more interested in his ethnicity than his crime. No head has Yoruba written all over it; it could be yours or your relation someday if you don't desist from extolling these evil men because of ethnic hatred. Send this to crime section.

People from the outside looking in do not see yorubas or Igbos.
They see nigerians and they can't tell the difference between each ethnic group.

Afaukwu, it is highly idiotic of you to bring tribalism into this.
Dont we have ritual killers everywhere in nigeria.